The Kingdom of Etro
by Tear of Light
Summary: The kingdoms of Cocoon and Gran Pulse have been at war for centuries. Now they want peace. When an envoy is sent to Cocoon to finalize the peace treaty, the true instigator of the war is revealed, leaving both sides in turmoil. Only by joining forces will Cocoon and Gran Pulse prevail. But can they put aside over a hundred years of hatred and bloodshed to do that? AU. Fang x Light.
1. Welcome to Cocoon

**The ****Kingdom ****of ****Etro**

_**A/N**: __For__ all of you Flight fans, here's another story for you. __As__ this is an alternate universe and I want to experiment with some things__, __expect __some __character __OOCness._

_**Disclaimer**: The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

**Summary:** The kingdoms of Cocoon and Gran Pulse have been at war for centuries. Now they want peace. When an envoy is sent to Cocoon to finalize the peace treaty, the true instigator of the war is revealed, leaving both sides in turmoil. Only by joining forces will Cocoon and Gran Pulse prevail. But can they put aside over a hundred years of hatred and bloodshed to do that?

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 1: Welcome to Cocoon ~ ***

"Are we there yet?"

_"__Fang.__"_

"What?"

"You asked that a minute ago."

"Yeah? Well I'm askin' again."

A sigh.

"You're such a child sometimes."

The kingdoms of Cocoon and Gran Pulse had been at war for centuries. It was a bloody, horrific war, both sides reeling with causalities but neither a definite winner. The original reason for the war was long lost at this point, yet the bad blood between the two kingdoms still remained.

"Is she always like this?" the male of the group asked.

"Only when she's bored," replied the other female of the group.

The people of Cocoon resided on the highest mountain in Fantasia Finality, their cities and towns built just below the clouds, overlooking the rest of the land. While the ancient texts said that both peoples emerged from the same race, one could hardly believe that given just how different the two peoples were now. With the lack of predators in the mountains, the people of Cocoon soon turned to science and technology, eventually basing their entire culture upon it. The ancient gods were abandoned and forgotten, science now taking their place.

"How can ya not be bored right now? There's nothin' ta do!" Fang waved her arms around her as if to emphasize her point.

"Fang!"

"What?"

"_Behave."_

Gran Pulse was different from that of Cocoon. Keeping true to their ancestors, the people of Gran Pulse remained in the forests and plains below, thriving on nothing but their own survival skills and the almost forgotten skill of magic. It was said the old gods bestowed the gift of magic upon the people, the ability to wield the elements of nature itself, and allowed them to call upon the of beasts myth and legend in their most dire of moments.

And so, the two kingdoms fought for supremacy over the land, both claiming the entirety to be theirs and the other the intruder. Technology and science was pitted against magic, both kingdoms slaughtering each other year after year without respite. But now the peoples of both nations wanted peace and the time for change was now.

Huffing in annoyance, Fang tucked a lone strand of raven hair behind her ear. She trailed behind the rest of the group, that being led by Oerba Dia Vanille, her little sister, with the warrior twins Oerba Kamau Gadot and Oerba Kamau Lebreau following after the redhead. Behind Fang herself was four other hunters from Oerba, the quartet only travelling with them so far as the neutral ground between Gran Pulse and Cocoon.

"Ya know I can hear ya, right?" Fang looked at Gadot and Lebreau unimpressed. Gadot merely shrugged in response. Fang rolled her eyes.

Just why were they heading towards that Maker forsaken place? Peace. Or so was the desire. Apparently everyone was fed up with the whole war thing and it was time to call a truce. And the lucky sap volunteered to meet with the other nation to sort all that good stuff out was none other than herself, Oerba Yun Fang. It sucked to be the last surviving warrior from the strongest clan sometimes.

This soon to be peace treaty was supposed to be a good thing, Fang knew. Ending the war which lasted hundreds of years, was a big deal. But having grown up under the strict shelter of the other clans, watching many of her friends and respected peers die because of it, Fang wasn't so convinced peace would come easy. Or at all. The truth of it, Fang had only heard of the horrific things the vipers from Cocoon did to her people. Being the last surviving member of the oldest and strongest of Gran Pulse' clans, Fang was never allowed to venture into the battlefield herself. The elders feared Cocoon would take Fang from them too, destroying Gran Pulse's only hope against the vipers.

So instead, Fang was trained by the best warriors within the walls of Oerba, from time to time, joining them as they hunted for food outside of the village. In spite of the limitations imposed upon her, Fang grew up to be the best hunter out of them all, her senses and abilities superior to almost everyone. And that was part of the reason she was on this stupid mission of peace in the first place.

As tradition stated, any warrior who reached the age of twenty-one became their own person, allowed to do whatever they wanted. However, this didn't mean they completely abandoned their clans the moment they did. It was expected that once a warrior reached the age, they would continue to ensure the village's safety and respect the lands left to them by the ancients. But in Fang's case, it was much more than that. Turning twenty-one last week also came with the new responsibility of leading all the clans.

The Yun clan was the oldest out of all the clans, their history marked with great battles and bloodshed. Because of the conflicts and challenges they faced, and the near impossible odds they always overcame, they were naturally respected and feared by the other clans. More often than not, a Yun was chosen as the leader of all by the seeress. But while the days of the seeress were long gone now, those ingrained traditions still remained. And as part of her first duty as the new leader of the Pulsian people, Fang was volunteered to make peace with Gran Pulse's mortal enemy. If Cocoon was even thinking of betraying them, the people of Gran Pulse needed their strongest warrior to put the vipers in their place.

"Oh don't mind her," Vanille said, still at the head of the group. The smaller Oerban turned around to face the rest of them, continuing to walk backwards so as not to lose pace. "She may not act like it, but Fang is really just nervous about meeting Cocoonians for the first time."

"I am not!" Fang exclaimed, indignation in her voice. "I'm the strongest hunter there is! Why would some viper scare me!"

The redhead merely giggled, turning back around as Lebreau and Gadot shot curious looks at Fang. Fang grumbled. If Vanille hadn't her sister, she would have strangled the girl by now.

* * *

"Welcome honoured guests. I am Captain Snow Villiers of Cocoon's Imperial Army."

Snow Villiers was a huge man in Fang's opinion, his size nearly matching that of Gadot's. That was quite the feat as Oerba Kamau Gadot was the largest warrior there was in all of Gran Pulse's history. They hadn't even stepped three feet out of the Forest of the Ancients when they caught sight of their escorts from Cocoon. Unlike Gran Pulse natives, whose skin was naturally darker in colour (Vanille being the only exception, though even the redhead was darker than this Villiers fellow), and their hair being closer to the colours of the earth, Snow's hair was gold like the sun, his complexion as pale as the clouds. And his eyes, they were a sky blue colour like Fang had never seen before.

Snow was covered in navy blue and white plates of armor, a flimsy piece of protection in Fang's mind given just how thin those plates were. Not even a knuckle deep. But that probably had something to do with the seemingly glowing second layer armor floating over top the first, made of pure energy itself. Fang had heard about those things in her studies. Energy barriers, Cocoon's technology at its finest. The ability to create protective barriers without the use of magic. They were powered by something called Mana Drivers, if Fang remembered correctly.

Flanking the Cocoon Captain on his left was another man, armored similarly to Snow. But this man's hair was as blue as the waters of the Sulyya Springs, his complexion just as pale as Cocoon's Captain. Fang decided to call him Blue. It just seemed like fitting nickname considering it was the colour of his hair. On the other side of Snow was an even shorter Cocoon native, his spikey blonde hair being a shade darker than that of Snow's. The man (or rather boy) had goggle things strapped to his head just above his eyes. Fang found it really hard to believe that this third soldier was actually a man. He was extremely boyish in appearance, not to mention he was the shortest of the lot. So his nickname ended up being Boyo. Because he was exactly that in Fang's mind, a boy.

Behind Snow, Blue, and Boyo, six other soldiers made up the welcoming party. None of them distinguishable from each for they all wore closed faced helmets. All of the Cocoonians, except for Snow, wielded strange weapons, ones unlike that which was commonly found in Oerba. Guns, or were they rifles? Fang could never remember which one was which. Nevertheless, it was a type of weapon similar to a sling, yet it could shoot stones faster and more powerful than any of Gran Pulse's warriors could do with a sling. Fang eyed the other lesser soldiers behind the trio cautiously.

"Nice to meet you Captain Snow Villiers of Cocoon's Imperial Army," Vanille said with a brilliant smile. She would have held up her arm in the typical Gran Pulse greeting, but didn't. Who knows how these Cocoonian's would have interpreted that greeting.

Fang smiled slightly, silently thanking the gods for her little sister. While they were not related by blood, they could have very well been. They were inseparable from a very young age, Vanille having taken a liking to Fang the moment she was brought into Oerba as an orphan many years ago. Unlike Fang, who was stronger and a natural born hunter, Vanille was gifted with the art of gab. Not only could the redhead convince you of almost anything, she also had a natural way with animals, talking to them as she would a person. Strangely enough, the animals seemed to understand Vanille, as if she was one of their own and reacted accordingly.

Fang rotated her shoulders a bit. Personally, she would have preferred to let her spear do the talking in a situation like this. Sadly, not every situation turned out well when using force. And so, it was decided that Vanille would be joining this little expedition at Fang's side, handling the negotiations side of things on the lancer's behalf. Fang had never been so relieved in her entire life.

"I'm guessing you're here to show us the way?"

"That is correct," Snow said with a short nod. "We're here to escort you back to the Imperial Palace-"

_CLICK._

Fang's hand was instantly on her lance.

Snow's eyes widened, the Captain of Cocoon's Imperial Army turning his gaze to the one behind him.

"Change of plans, Captain," one of the helmeted soldiers said. His weapon was pointed at his captain's neck. At the nod of his head, two of the other helmeted soldiers removed the Mana Driver attached to the blonde's back, Snow's energy shields flickering once before dieing completely.

Emerald eyes narrowed.

"You won't be escorting these savages anywhere."

Blue and Boyo were quickly relieved of their weapons, their Mana Drivers also taken in a similar fashion to Snow's. The trio was then shoved to the side where two helmeted soldiers pointed their rifles at them threatening death should retaliation be sought. The rest of the rifles were pointed at Fang, Vanille, Lebreau and Gadot.

Fang gritted her teeth, her muscles already tensing in anticipation of the battle to come. She knew this was too good to be true. She knew it! In her peripherals, Fang could see the twins reaching for their weapons. Vanille's hand slowly reached behind her back for her own weapon strapped to the back of her waist. None of the Cocoon soldiers noticed this, all of them too distracted by the angered and very vocal Cocoon Captain they used to work for.

"What the hell are you doing Corporal!" Snow demanded, his face twisted in anger and disbelief. His hands were balled at his sides, the blonde looking rather livid. He reminded Fang of an aggravated Behemoth King before it rose to its hind legs.

"Primarch Far-"

"Primarch Farron will never know about this," the Corporal said smugly. "By the time we all get back, data feeds will announce that the savages never showed up to the meeting point."

Fang's lips curled back into a snarl. If those vipers thought she was going down that easily, that they would be doing down that easily, they had another thing coming.

"If you think I'll go back quietly and act as if nothing ever happened, you better think again."

The Corporal shook his head. "But you won't be going back with us, Captain. You, along with your second in commands, will be killed in a valiant effort to protect the rest of us from one of those savage beasts which charged out of the forest while we waited."

Fang's grip on her lance tightened. Even with his helmet on, she knew the ex-Corporal was smiling smugly in victory when he looked at them.

"This is treason!" Snow said in rage. He took one step closer to his former Corporal only to receive a rifle butt in the face which sent him sprawling to the ground in a daze.

"No," the Corporal said. "No it isn't." The same rifle used to take Snow down was then pointed at Vanille. "We're not betraying Cocoon. We're saving it. Cocoon will never bend to the likes of _them_."

_BANG!_

Fang watched in something akin to slow motion as the ex-Corporal's helmeted head jerked to the side, crimson erupting in the air next to him. His body crumpled to the ground a second later, motionless. The moment the Corporal's finger twitched on the rifle's trigger, Fang was already moving, instantly placing herself between Vanille and him. But rather than feeling the bite of pain from a bullet wound, she instead watched as the offending soldier's head literally exploded within the confines of his helmet.

The rest of the Cocoon soldiers stood frozen in there spots, staring at the Corporal's dead corpse. Snow, Blue and Boyo were also gawking, every single one of them having a hard time processing what they obviously were seeing. Then a new voice spoke up, snapping everyone out of their shock.

"Why don't you let Primarch Farron decide what's true and what's not."

Movement to the side caught Fang's attention, the Pulsian's gaze darting towards it at the same time Snow's head whipped to the side. In what would later be remembered as a comical scene, the Captain's eyes widened to the point of threatening to burst out of his skull as he exclaimed in shock.

"P-P-Primarch Farron!"

* * *

_**A/N:** There's something about this chapter I'm still not happy with, but rather than prolong the wait, I've decide to post it up anyways. _

_Kamau is African meaning "Quiet Warrior". As neither Lebreau nor Gadot was given last names in the game, I gave them this one._

_As we're never told what 'world' our heroes live in, I made one up based on the name of the game._

_The armor for Cocoon's Imperial Army is inspired by the tech armor from the Mass Effect games. If you're not sure what that is, you can find more information here: (h t t p) : / / masseffect . wikia . (c o m) / wiki / Tech _ Armor_


	2. Like a Ghost

**The ****Kingdom ****of ****Etro**

**A/N**_:__ And here's another chapter for you. :) E__xpect __some __character __OOCness __due __to __the __context __of __this __story. On another note, FFnet is glitchy again and is taking out spaces between words. I did what I could to fix that, and hope it doesn't undo my reformatting.  
_

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ shezaei-neko __- __Thanks __for__ the __review! __I'm __glad __you're __enjoying __the __story __so __far. __I __too __look __forward __to __moments __between __Light __and __Fang. __:)_

_ Gansgerine __- __Thanks __for __the __review. __You'll __be __meeting __Lightning __and __Fang __soon __enough. __In __fact, __you'll __be __meeting __them __in __this __next __chapter. __Enjoy! __:)_

_**Warning: **__There's __some __mild __violence __in __this __chapter._

**Disclaimer**_: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I__ do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

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*** ~ Chapter 2: Like a Ghost ~ ***

He was fast.

Like the wind he ran. And like lightning he struck.

Primarch Farron's entrance was like the boom of a flash flood, both vicious and unmerciful. As elegant as she was beautiful, it was not Primarch who currently held Fang's interest, but the one who accompanied her.

Cloaked in white, silver greaves, gauntlets and shoulder plates were the only visible protection he had. A tail of red silk, a scarf maybe, fluttered in the wind trailing from his neck. A mask of white marble covered his face, hiding everything but his eyes, leaving everything else to Fang's imagination. In his hand was a sword unlike anything Fang had ever seen before. Something both graceful yet deadly, it was without a doubt one of Cocoon's most technologically advanced weapons. Just like this man, this dangerous man. For whatever reason, his garb seemed familiar to the Pulsian, but Fang couldn't quite put her finger on why.

Ice blue eyes locked onto her own, and Fang found herself momentarily breathless. The world around them went quiet and froze, save for the sounds of their own breathing. Then eye contact was lost and the world came crashing back.

_SLASH!_

A large grin stretched across Fang's face. It was in moments like this where Fang was truly alive.

Kain's Lance twirled in front of her, its sharpened blades cutting through the rifle of a rogue Cocoon soldier. A shot pinged off of her Protect bubble, a quick cast by Vanille, causing the Pulsian to immediately call forth Steelguard as a precaution. Be that as it may, the aggressor would never get off another shot. A blur of white crossed between Fang and her attacker, the hairs on Fang's arms and the back of her neck standing on end as something akin to a thunder boom shattered the air. The rogue Cocoon soldier was flung backwards away from her, blood coating the immediate area.

A dangerous man indeed.

The charging cry of another rogue Cocoon soldier made Fang growl. Without even looking, Kain's Lance was a flurry in her hands again, stabbing backwards, catching the once charging soldier in the gut. The Pulsian quartet learned early on in this fight just how powerful Cocoon technology was. Their first magical attacks bounced off of the rogue Cocoon soldiers' energy shields like rubber balls. After their initial shots failed, they quickly switched to hand to hand combat, the Cocoon energy shields quite evidently not made to handle brute force.

The rogue soldier doubled over with a gargle, his weapon lost as he crumpled to the ground and writhed. With a quick flick of her wrist, the man was silenced forever, Fang taking a split second glance to confirm her kill. Then she looked back to the one in white, only to find him gone, having dashed off to confront another opponent.

A smirk.

Fang would find him again. She was sure of it.

* * *

Primarch Farron's lips were pressed together in a fine line, the Primarch watching in disgust as her own people, her own soldiers, dared to turn their hand against them. Against her. She had heard rumors of their dissent. She knew of her people's unhappiness. There would always be some who fought against change, who wouldn't understand the need to make peace with their centuries old enemy. But to see them here, direct in their betrayal, especially those who swore to serve and protect her and the people, that was a stab through the heart. It hurt.

"Primarch!"

Blue eyes flitted towards the owner of the voice, the Primarch's gaze soon after darting to the side, following the sight of Captain Villiers. One of the rogue soldiers, having just been on the receiving end of a nasty hit, dazedly got to his feet and aimed his rifle at the first thing he saw. Her. Collapsing Starseeker from bow form into sword form, Primarch Farron turned to face the rogue Cocoon soldier. An unnecessary precaution, for not a second later, a blur of white rushed between them both and the former soldier was face down on the ground, dead.

"Are you alright, Primarch?"

Primarch Farron swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. "I am unharmed," she said, forcing her voice not to shake. Even if her own people betrayed her, she still couldn't watch them die without feeling something. "Thank you, Lightning."

Lightning nodded, taking this momentary respite to glance in the Primarch's direction. "I am glad, Serah," came a soft whisper.

Had it been anyone else, they would have missed that admission. But Serah did not. She had heard all of it. A small smile stretched across her lips. By now, most of the rogue soldiers had been dealt with, either dead or retreating. Despite their well planned ambush, with reinforcements hidden nearby, it was obvious the rogue Cocoon soldiers hadn't planned on her or Lightning showing up. It was almost unheard of, the Primarch leaving the Imperial Palace, that is. As the leader of all Cocoon, Serah was the most important person around. If something happened to her, Cocoon would be left in chaos. But unlike previous Primarchs, Serah Farron was not the type to just sit around while things threatened her people.

A harsh breath escaped Lightning's lips, pulling the Primarch out of her thoughts. White material scrunched and shifted as Lightning turned his head left and right.

"Lightning?"

Something was not right. Lightning could feel it. The hairs on the back of his neck was standing on end, making him shiver. Blazefire Saber squeaked in his grip, the Cocoonian bolting towards the quartet of Pulsians a moment later.

"Lightning!"

Fang had felt it too. Something amiss. With their attackers now dead or defeated, her brother and sisters rejoiced in victory. But Fang did not. She couldn't but feel like something very bad was about to happen. And her instincts were never wrong. At the Primarch's exclamation, Fang's gaze immediately locked onto the blur in white, her eyes widening when she realized the mysterious Cocoon soldier was now bearing down on Vanille inhumanly fast.

"Vanille!"

The redhead looked at Fang at the sound of her name, but then turned towards Lightning as movement in her peripherals caught her attention. As Fang pulled Kain's Lance back over her shoulder to throw at the soldier in defense of her sister, Lightning pivoted on his heel to face away from the lancer, his sword now transformed into rifle of some sort. The white soldier glared at some unseen thing behind a grouping of boulders twenty feet away from the forest's edge. He managed to get off three shots before a high pitch shrill deafened them all and a streak of blue ravaged the air.

"Get down!"

Vanille tumbled to the ground with a yelp, having been cleanly pushed off her feet by the rough shove from Lightning. Before she could even make heads or tails of what just happened, an anguished scream rang in her ears. The redhead immediately looked up in horror. Standing where she originally was, the streak of blue, some sort of energy attack Vanille realized, tore through Lightning's right shoulder, tossing him backwards into a drunken spin on his feet. Somehow the man managed to remain upright, eventually sliding to a stop on his heels ten feet away, shaking. Crimson ran down his limp right arm, pained wheezes escaping the confines of his mask as he clutched at his dripping red shoulder.

"Lightning!"

Serah went numb with horror and disbelief as Lightning pushed the redheaded Pulsian out of the way of what would have been a fatal shot, only to take the blow himself. Horror and shock quickly turned to anger and hatred, Primarch Farron soon after levelling Starseeker in bow form at the offender with a bolt of compressed energy already charging in her free hand. A shadowed flitted over her, causing her to pause.

"No Escape!"

The hidden sniper didn't even have a chance to scream. The rocky barrier exploded with earth rumbling boom, the ferocity of the attack quaking the entire area. Dust and pebbles shot up into the sky in a pillar of grey and brown, Vanille throwing up a Protect bubble around herself and her saviour on instinct. Just like Fang, Vanille too had heard about the horrors of Cocoon's weapons. But to see such destructive power in person, that was truly frightening. A quick glance behind them showed Vanille just how horrifying those weapons were.

The trees at their backs which bore the brunt of the attack (they were no more than ten feet away from the leading edge of the Forest of the Ancients) smoked and disintegrated to ash under the slightest of breezes. Once strong and ancient trees, some of them over five centuries old, were now just gone, as if they never existed in the first place. Of the trees which survived the blast, their trunks would remain forever scarred, no new growth able to sprout on their blackened skins. Vanille swallowed nervously, turning back to the panting one in white. Had this Cocoon soldier not pushed her out of the way in time... Not even her Protect spell could have defended her against something like that.

"Lightning!" Primarch Farron skidded to a halt next to Lightning, just as he collapsed to his knees. Her hands shot out to his uninjured shoulder and arm to steady him.

"This is... nothing," Lightning ground out.

Despite Lightning's attempts to play off this wound as nothing, Serah knew better. She knew he was trying hard to hide it. The pain. The weariness. The weakness. Lightning had gotten lucky. Energy Pulse Cannons, also called EPCs, were not known for being forgiving. They were usually only used to take down large opponents with thick hides like Adamantoises, or for resurfacing the face of the mountain in times of expansion. Had it not been for his speed, Lightning would have been vaporized.

A shudder.

"Stay with me!" The Primarch shook the soldier in white, when his posture sagged and the light in his eyes threatened to go out.

Vanille stared, her gaze locked onto the unending stream of red leaking through the soldier's fingers as he clutched weakly to his shoulder. "You saved me," she said, still in a little bit of shock. Lightning merely looked at her tiredly, breathing heavily.

With a quick glance around the area, Gadot ran ahead to back up Fang, the lancer currently mopping up the remaining stragglers near the now broken boulder formation. Lebreau stayed with Vanille.

"I need a medic! Now!" Serah exclaimed, shouting at Snow and his second-in-commands.

"We're on it!"

Snow's second-in-commands scrambled away towards Cocoon as fast as their legs would take them. The Captain of Cocoon's Imperial Army took his place behind the Primarch, having finally recovered his Mana Driver and titanium knuckles.

"Don't close your eyes!" Serah shook Lightning again, earning a grunt of pain from the soldier. "Keep them open. Yuj and Maqui have gone for help."

"Can I?" Vanille crawled up to the pair, nodding in direction of Lightning. "I'm a healer."

Serah looked at Vanille in surprise before nodding in consent.

Vanille smiled at the Primarch, reaching out her hand towards Lightning's wounded shoulder. "He'll be al-" Her breath suddenly got caught in her throat, a bloody hand wrapping around Vanille's wrist before she could reach out any further. Ice blue eyes made the redhead freeze, making her blood feel like ice.

Lebreau quickly withdrew one of her short swords, Snow lunging at the Pulsian to grab her wrist before she could harm either the Primarch or Lightning. "Don't," he said in warning.

The raven haired Pulsian gritted her teeth, glaring at the blonde as she struggled to free herself.

"Lightning, no," Serah said firmly. It was both a command and a plea. "Let her go. She only wants to help."

Sweat rolled down Vanille's cheek as she waited with nervous anticipation of what was to come. A quick glance to her right revealed the Cocoon captain and the young Pulsian warrior in a deadlock with each other. It seemed the hatred between the two peoples wouldn't be forgotten so easily.

"Lightning, please."

Lightning finally relented, releasing her arm. Vanille breathed in relief. Snow soon after released Lebreau, taking his place back behind Primarch Farron once again. Lebreau lowered her weapon, but remained in a defensive stance next to her travelling companion. Flexing her fingers momentarily, Vanille's hands started to glow a soft blue. The smallest of the Pulsians peeled the hand covering the wound away with one hand while placing the other directly on Lightning's ripped shoulder. The soldier hissed and shuddered under the contact, but Vanille did not pull back.

"Bear with it," she told Lightning. "It will only hurt for a little while longer."

Lightning gritted his teeth but did nothing more.

Footsteps raced up to the group, Snow turning towards them ready for another fight as Fang and Gadot finally returned.

"Vanille! Are ya al-" Fang lost all train of thought when she caught sight of pink hair.

"C-Claire?"

* * *

Serah stared at Fang in disbelief, her eyes wide and her jaw slack. Unconsciously, a hand went up to her head, feeling for her hood. It wasn't there. Her hood now sagged around the back of her shoulders, having fallen off during the fight earlier.

"Claire? Is that... Is that... " Fang's shaking hand slowly reached towards the Primarch.

Vanille had never seen Fang so pale before. It was like she'd seen a ghost. The older Pulsian rarely spoke of her past before they found her, before her life in Oerba. And when she did speak of it, it was only of another named Claire. To think that that person was right here all this time-

"I'm sorry," Serah said, once she found her voice again. "I'm not Claire."

"W-what?" Fang was crestfallen. She pulled her hand back. "But ya... yer hair-"

"My name is Serah Farron," the Primarch continued. "I am the current Primarch of Cocoon. Claire Farron was..." Serah glanced at Lightning. "She was my sister."

"Primarch!" Gadot and Lebreau stared at the pinkette in shock. This little girl was the leader of all of Cocoon? Gadot vaguely remembered the Villiers fellow shouting Primarch something or the other, but he assumed it was the other one, the soldier in white.

Snow eyed the Pulsian quartet cautiously.

"How did you know my sister?"

Fang took a step backwards, her mind reeling. "I uh... I met her a long time ago."

Another look at Lightning.

"What happened ta her? Yer sister I mean?" Fang's voice was on the verge of cracking now, but she managed to keep it steady enough. Fists clenched tightly at her sides. After all this time-

Serah looked at the Pulsian sadly. "She died many years ago. Along with the rest of my family."

Fang stumbled backwards two steps before catching herself. "I'm... sorry. I didn't know..." came a quiet reply.

It felt like someone had just torn her heart out and ripped it to shreds. Fang gritted her teeth, her eyes burning. She blinked back the tears. After searching for so long, for the person whom only she remembered, to find out that she had died... Fang's search had been for nothing...

"Fang..." Vanille said softly. She reached up to hold her sister's hand.

Lightning straightened up, pulling away from Vanille's touch. "You have my thanks," he said, breaking the dark tension. His eyes had yet to leave the Pulsian lancer since she rejoined them, those ice blues merely narrowing more and more the longer the current conversation continued. He rubbed his shoulder, flexing it as he wiped away blood with his glove. The redhead was skilled. Lightning couldn't even feel a scar. It was as if he'd never gotten shot in the first place.

"Oh! Where are my manners?" Serah said, quickly noticing Lightning's glare. "This is my personal guard, Lightning."

Lightning said nothing, choosing to rise to his feet instead before offering a hand to help Serah up to hers. The Primarch took it without complaint and sighed inwardly. Things just got a whole lot more complicated it seemed.

"Lightnin' an' Serah, huh?" Fang murmured, quickly regaining composure. There would be a time to mourn, but this was not it. Not in front of her enemies at least. Fang refused to show weakness in the face of her opponents.

"The name's Oerba Yun Fang," Fang continued, falling back into her usual laid back demeanour. "An' that one over there is-"

"Oerba Dia Vanille!" Vanille said with a giggle. She dusted off the fur pelt around her waist. Even with her long, thick cloak, it still got dirty. "Nice to meet you." A look to Lightning. "Thanks for saving me by the way." A curt nod in her direction was Lightning's only response.

"Oerba Kamau Lebreau," Lebreau said, feeling it safe to introduce herself. She sheathed her blade, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oerba Kamau Gadot," Gadot said in turn after his sister. There was an awkward, tense atmosphere surrounding the group now, one of which made Gadot uneasy. Lebreau must have felt it too for she was shifting on her feet every few seconds.

"Well met," Snow said finally joining in the conversation. The tension in the air was so thick, it was choking him. Being the person he was, he chose to diffuse the situation by turning everyone's attention elsewhere.

"All rogue soldiers have been dealt with Primarch." A quick glance around. They were out in the open with barely an cover. "I suggest we all continue on to the Imperial Palace before we befall another ambush."

"Agreed," Serah said with a nod. She quickly turned to look at Cocoon. Lightning fell in line next to her. "Please follow me. We'll ensure you reach Cocoon safely this time."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Not a perfect chapter, but close enough. ;)_

_Now before all of you freak out about Lightning being a 'he', I highly suggest you wait and read the next few chapters before you jump all over me about it. You'll see what I mean soon enough. :P_

_On another note, hopefully I've cleared up who the Primarch is now. I know a lot of you was assuming it would be Lightning, but she's not. XD_

_If you're wondering what Lightning's outfit looks like, refer to this picture (take out the dashes): [http][colon][doubleslash]t-i-n-y-u-r-l.c-o-m/6tatw2l  
_

_It's not exact, but similar._


	3. Midnight Escape

**The ****Kingdom ****of ****Etro**

**_A/N_**___:____ Well, I think the last chapter certainly caused a stir. Lol. To clarify things, I intentionally introduced Lightning as male, as Fang was the first one to describe 'him'. Even so, looks can be deceiving. ;) You'll see what I mean as things progress. _

___Just a reminder to everyone, posting schedules and other information for all my stories can be found on my profile page. I have a weekly update section there which details any changes in things. Keep an eye on that._

___On another note, I have fixed the broken link which shows what Lightning looks like in the previous chapter. FFnet has a rather annoying system of messing up links. Tch._

___For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

___ tlrc - Good to see you again tlrc! Fear not, the confusion at first was intentional on my part. I like to confuse everyone, once and a while. Lol. There is a method to my madness, and you'll come to understand what I'm trying to do as the chapters continue. Keep an eye out on the next few chapters, more secrets will be revealed! Thanks for the review! :)_

___ Guest - Thanks for the review! There are many more chapters to come for this story, so stay tuned! I planned to keep everyone entertained for a while yet. :) For now, updates will be on a monthly basis, but I will do what I can to eventually speed up the update schedule. Thanks again for the comment. ^^_

___ thunder1514 - Thanks for the review! As mentioned above, updates will be on a monthly basis for the time being, but I'll do what I can to speed it up later on. In the meantime, feel free to check out my profile page for the story "Some Things You Just Do". That's another Flight story of mine you might enjoy. :)_

___ just a anon okay - Thanks for the review. ^^ There's a specific reason why Lightning was introduced as a 'he'. I can't say too much more without ruining the plot, so you'll just have to wait and see why that is as the chapter go on. It's all tied into Fang's past as well as Claire's past. ^^ Thanks again for the comment. _

___ D - Thanks for the review. ^^ Hehe, I think that was a lot of peoples' reactions upon reading Lightning as 'he'. Lol. I can tell you straight up that there is no futa in this story, I wouldn't even know where to begin in that genre. So I'll leave that to the other talented writers in that field. :) You'll come to find out why Lightning acts like a 'he' as the story goes on. And it may not be for the reason you think. Thanks again!_

___ anonymous - Thanks for the review! :) I'm always happy to hear people enjoy reading my stories. It's always still a bit nerve wracking for me when writing for the FLight genre, as I still consider myself a newbie in that area. Nevertheless, I'm glad to see people taking such interest in this story. I have many twists and turns planned, as well as secrets to be unveiled. So stay tuned!_

_As __romance__ is not __my __strong __suit, __expect __some __character __OOCness._

_**Warning: **__There's __some __mild __language __in __this __chapter._

**Disclaimer**_: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 3: Midnight Escape ~ ***

A groan.

"_Fang!_" A whisper and a nudge.

"Are we done yet?" the said Pulsian moaned, her forehead pressed against the table in front of her.

Vanille sighed.

The journey to Cocoon, and eventually to the Imperial Palace itself, was uneventful to say the least. Since the original, failed ambush by PSICOM (the People's Safety and Integrity COMmandos), the rogue faction which took responsibility for the attack, Primarch Farron took extra measures to ensure the safety of the Pulsian envoy. Everything else continued on without a hitch.

There was no grand march through the streets of Cocoon, no glamorous party to welcome their Gran Pulse guests. There was no showering of gifts or expressions of awe and admiration. There was just calm and quiet. Upon reaching the gates of Cocoon, they were quickly ushered into and transported to the Imperial Palace via the Primarch's personal hover vehicle, its windows blackened, revealing nothing of the passengers inside. Being loved by her people, it was natural for the citizens of Cocoon to give Primarch Farron the respect she deserved, allowing her personal vehicle to pass unhindered in the streets.

The Primarch's personal hover craft, dubbed the Lindblum, was one of the larger vehicles travelling through Eden, Cocoon's capital city. It seated ten people comfortably, not including the driver, on the finest quality leather seats Vanille had ever seen. Fortified with Adamantoise shells and Lucidon carapaces in patterns the redhead couldn't even imagine, the Lindblum was practically a flying tank which could take on a full Long Gui stampede and survive intact. And that was without its energy barriers. Cocoon's technology, and what they achieved with it, was truly frightening.

Yet despite these terrifying implications, that did little to dull the sights, sounds, and even the smells of Cocoon as they journeyed through it. To Vanille at least. It was just breathtaking. Vanille literally pressed herself up against the window, her breath fogging up the glass at times as she stared at things she had never seen before. Other hover vehicles, buildings, even people on the street, zipped passed them insanely fast in the Pulsian's eyes. This form of transportation was very different from what they were used to back on Gran Pulse, that being chocobos.

"Is she alright?" Primarch Farron asked, drawing Vanille from her thoughts. The Primarch looked at Fang with concern.

"Should I have someone fetch the Medic?"

"Who? Fang?" Vanille laughed, waving off the Primarch's concern. "She always gets like this in meetings."

Fang grumbled.

Meetings? Who needed them? The moment they stepped out of that crazy contraption (what was it called? The Lundon-Bah!), instead of taking up the Primarch's gracious offer to rest for the remainder of the day and head to their rooms, Vanille chose to start the negotiations right away. Soon morning turned into afternoon, afternoon turning into evening. And all for what? Establishing where the current boundaries lay and the states of each kingdom? Boring! At the rate things were going, it would take weeks, if not months before all of this crap was sorted out. Fang was in no mood to spend that long in this viper's nest.

Primarch Farron chuckled. "I see," the pinkette said with mirth in her eyes. "I too, know of someone who is... not so suited for meetings."

At that comment, Fang raised her head from the large rectangular table they shared, and followed the Primarch's gaze. Off to the side, by the floor to ceiling window on the other end of the room, stood Lightning. The man's back faced them, his arms crossed over his chest. Even without seeing his face, Fang was sure he was scowling something fierce. He'd been like that since the start of the meeting and hadn't moved an inch.

To say Fang was curious about the man was an understatement. Ever since she met him, something about him unnerved her. It was like an invisible, unscratchable itch at the back of her mind driving her crazy. The way he carried himself was that of a seasoned warrior, his cold, piercing gaze seeing through anything and everything. His voice was as frigid and clipped as his personality. Lithe was his form and deadly was his accuracy, with that gun sword thing whose holster hung off the back of his thighs. But it wasn't any of that which bothered her. In fact, those exact features excited Fang. It was quite evident this Lightning fellow was strong. And the stronger they were, the more excited Fang was to fight them. So few could face her equally in battle, even back in Gran Pulse.

What really disturbed Fang about the Cocoonian however, was the more subtle, mixed cues she was getting from him. Specifically scent. That was the biggest reason she hated travelling via the Primarch's hovercraft. Aside from the fact she couldn't feel the ground under her feet nor the wind through her hair, Fang couldn't smell a damn thing except for the catalyst practically bleeding off of the treated leather. That and her present company at the time. She couldn't detect any other scents around her, to know if an enemy was nearby laying in wait. Fang prided herself on her well honed senses, smell being the sharpest. Cocoon itself was rather sterile smelling, which should have made it easy to pick out smells. Fang quickly learned it was not so, as Cocoonians liked to cage themselves in gaudy looking things called buildings.

A sniff.

Men and women had unique scents which distinguished them from each other. Fang really wasn't sure how to describe that distinction, one which the beasts of Gran Pulse also adhered to. But she knew, based on scent alone, that Captain Snow Villiers was male. The Cocoon Captain's second-in-commands were also male, younger ones at that. Primarch Farron was definitely female, probably closer to Vanille's age when all things were considered. And then there was Lightning.

Lightning. Lightning. Lightning.

The way he moved, the way he talked, all of those things blatantly shouted_ I AM MALE_. His voice had a weird quirk to it though, one of which Fang couldn't explain. It sounded almost fake in nature, or maybe even synthesized, but the huntress attributed that to being a Cocoon thing. His scent however, that was a different story. Not only was it completely female (Fang's senses never lied to her), his scent was strikingly similar to that of the Primarch's. And that bothered Fang more than she wanted to admit.

The lancer supposed it was only natural for the Primarch's scent to rub off on her personal guard. But even so, for Lightning's scent to be so opposite to how he appeared, he was either a freak amongst his people or something else was going on behind the scenes. Just what did he hide behind that mask of his?

"It's been a long day," Primarch Farron said, breaking Fang out of her thoughts. "How about we end things as they are for now?"

Fang perked up instantly.

"We can pick up everything again tomorrow once you've rested."

"Yes!" Fang all but jumped to her feet, at that statement. "Freedom!" Vanille threw her a look and sighed.

The Primarch laughed. "You're free to wander the Imperial Palace at your own pace," she continued. "But an armed escort will accompany you."

"What?" Fang's face twisted in confusion. An _armed_ escort?

"And I must insist that you remain within the walls of the imperial grounds while you stay here."

"Why the hell should we!?" That outburst rolled off of her tongue before Fang could show some restraint. Vanille was not pleased.

White shifted, icy blue eyes now glaring at the lancer from across the room.

"Fang!" Vanille scolded. "This is not-"

"What are we ta ya? Yer prisoners until ya make us bend ta yer will? Why don't ya jus' kill us now an' be done wit' it!?" Fang stomped one step forward.

_WHOOSH!_

Parchments and datalogues went flying into the air, the room suddenly heavy with an overbearing sense of static. Fang instantly found herself face to face with Lightning, the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck raised on end as his eyes narrowed at her. This would be the second time in the span of hours that this man elicited such a feeling.

"If I wanted you dead," Lightning growled, "You would have been so, long before you stepped a foot out of your forests."

Fang's hands clenched into fists. "Is that right?"

A hand closed around Lightning's wrist before he could draw his blade. "That's enough Lightning."

Lightning didn't budge.

"Enough!"

At the scolding and the second tug on his wrist, Lightning relented. "As you wish, Primarch." Lightning took a few steps backwards, placing himself behind Primarch Farron. Lightning's gaze did not waver from Fang however, both of them still glaring at each other.

"Please do not misunderstand me, Yun Fang," the Primarch started.

"That's Oerba Yun Fang!" Fang exclaimed, still maintaining her glare at Lightning.

"Fang! Stop acting like a child!" Vanille chastised, tugging on her sister's arm.

"My apologies Oerba Yun Fang," Primarch Farron corrected herself. "My intention was never to keep you prisoner within these walls."

The huntress snorted, earning her another tug from the redheaded Dia.

"But there are those amongst my people who believe this peace treaty to be a mistake. The same ones who attacked you all earlier." A pause. "If given the chance, PSICOM would do everything in their power to make sure the treaty doesn't go through."

Fang finally wrenched her gaze away from Lightning to look at the Primarch. She frowned. For someone so young, Serah Farron suddenly looked very tired and much older than her real age.

"We understand, Primarch Farron," Vanille said respectfully. "Believe me, we do. There are those amongst our clans who feel the same way. They believe Cocoon to be a blight on nature, one which should be destroyed for the betterment of all."

"A truly troubling situation," the Primarch commented. "Nonetheless, please do not think badly of us. There will always be some who cannot forgive past trespasses. But they are a sparse few. I hope you will not hold them against the rest of us."

* * *

"Fang! Get back here this instant!"

Night had fallen on Cocoon, and for the first time in their lives, Fang and her companions witnessed a sunset not on their own lands. An armed escort stood outside of their chambers, ready to lead them wherever they pleased (with the exception of the royal wing or outside of the Imperial Palace walls) just like the Primarch said. To the Pulsians' surprise, Primarch Farron gave the four of them free reign over an entire wing of the Imperial Palace, to do whatever they pleased.

Rooms adjoined one another sharing a common space. Bathrooms were paved with brilliant stones and metals none of them had ever seen before. The bedrooms were even bigger than all of the elder's huts combined. But Fang could have cared less. She felt like a caged Wyvern and needed to explore a bigger space. And that's exactly what she was doing. Outside of the imperial grounds. It took all of half an hour to skirt around the patrols and to scale the massive wall of white marble lining the perimeter of the Imperial Palace. Such measures may have been able to keep other Cocoonians out, but Fang was no Cocoonian.

"Fang!" Vanille hissed again behind her. "We shouldn't be out here! Don't you remember what the Primarch said?"

"Who cares what that girl said?" Fang retorted, pulling her cloak tighter around her body. She slid down the hillside, weaving in and out of the forestry separating the palace from the rest of the capital city. It was rather surprising how nature-like Eden was.

"If ya don't want ta be here, then ya should've stayed in yer room."

In spite of defying the Primarch's warning, not everything the pinkette said went over Fang's head. The huntress made sure to cloak herself, knowing full well she'd stand out among the Cocoon people. Her skin was naturally darker than everyone's in the entire mountain kingdom after all. While Vanille may have been able to pass as one of them, there was no doubt in Fang's mind that she'd get caught in an instant.

A tug on the back of her cloak.

Fang's head whipped to the side to look over her shoulder. Vanille had a fistful of Fang's cloak in her hand, looking around nervously.

"I don't like it out here, Fang," the redhead whispered. In her free hand was her staff. "What if someone sees us?"

Fang smiled, wrapping an arm around Vanille's shoulders. "We'll only be out here for a lil' while, Vanille. Don't fret. Before they realize we're gone, we'll be back in our rooms."

Vanille frowned. "I still don't like it."

"We won't get caught," Fang stated confidently. She gave her sister's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm Oerba Yun Fang, remember?"

Fang flexed her free arm, earning a giggle from her younger sibling. "Besides, even if someone sees us, I'll make sure nothin' happens ta ya. Alright?"

* * *

"No amount of magic is gonna save you savages!"

Fang gritted her teeth, glaring at the commando who spoke. Not even an hour into exploring the capital city were they caught by PSICOM. Apparently, the way they carried themselves was what gave them away, though Fang was pretty sure it was something else. PSICOM was just waiting for the opportunity to get at them, just like the Primarch said, and Fang had stupidly played right into their hands. Or had she? This seemed too perfect of a coincidence to have played out this way.

"Fang..." Vanille bit her lip, looking over her shoulder at the older Pulsian.

They were back to back, eyeing the crowd of ten Cocoonians - correction, rogue commandos - who leered at them. Each of their attackers were armed to the teeth, with weapons the Pulsian pair had never seen before. The commandos were also equipped with energy barriers, ones which glowed blue instead of orange like the first set of PSICOM they encountered. And their under-armor, that was a mix match of what looked to be random pieces of stolen imperial armor, just painted in different colours.

A sneer.

"Whatcha gonna do savage? Poke at me with your little stick?"

Fang growled, squeezing Kain's Lance tighter in her grasp. What a mess this was. She could have easily let loose on these snickering idiots, putting them in their place. But that would escalate the war between kingdoms further, and Fang wasn't willing to risk that. Had she been on her own, Fang would have made a run for it. But Vanille was here with her too, and it was a fact the redhead did poorly in long distance running. Fang cursed again.

"You know," one of the PSICOM commandos said. "The small one there looks kind of cute. Makes me want to do her right now."

"Don't ya lay a hand on her!" Fang lashed out at the commando, the Cocoonian yelping in surprise when Kain's Lance ricocheted off of his energy barrier. This type of energy barrier, it seemed, was most effective against physical attacks.

Well shit.

"You'll pay for that bitch!" All of the PSICOM commandos charged the Pulsian pair at once.

"You first."

Fang heard it before she saw it, a crackle akin to that of a raging thunder storm. Hairs raised on her arms and the back of her neck, Vanille also feeling the familiar prickle of magic. Just as Fang spun around, wrapping her arms around Vanille calling forth Steel Guard, a wall of thunder crashed down from the heavens around them, throwing all of the attacking commandos backwards off their feet.

"What did I tell you boys before about playing nice?"

The smell of ozone lingered heavily in the air, almost stifling. Yet despite that immense display of power, the feeling of magic did not dissipate. It got stronger in fact. Fang and Vanille's gazes went skyward, quickly falling upon a familiar figure standing at the edge of the closest rooftop. Magic still crackled in their hand.

"L-Lightning!"


	4. Of Technology and Magic

**The ****Kingdom ****of ****Etro  
**

**A/N**_:__ And the next chapter is here! __As __romance__ is not __my __strong __suit, __expect __some __character __OOCness._

_Calling all artists! I'm looking to take advantage of the somewhat new image/cover system FFnet has implemented and get covers done for all of my stories. If you're interested in drawing something, send me a PM (preferably). Artists will be fully credited for their work. I have specific ideas of how I would want the covers to look, so keep that in mind._

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ Dreamers95 - Thanks for the review! I'm glad things are keeping your interest. I think that's every author's fear, that a story gets boring after a while. Good to hear that's not the case with this one. ^^ Here be the next chapter. :)_

_ thunder1514 - Thanks for the review. ^^ Don't you know? I love teasing you all with cliffhangers. Lol. And wait until you see what happens in this chapter. :P_

**_Disclaimer_**_: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The__ stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 4: Of Technology and Magic ~ ***

The clanking of metal boots atop white marble floor was the only thing heard in the long, seemingly unending hallway. The utter silence was agonizing to Fang, the taller Pulsian seeking her younger sister's gaze to no avail. They were currently being escorted back to their rooms, an armed enclave of ten imperial soldiers accompanying them, preventing them from straying. After yet another unsuccessful attempt to gain the redhead's attention, Fang huffed in frustration, running a hand through her messy locks of raven hair.

What a mess things had become.

* * *

_~ One hour ago ~_

The prickle sensation which accompanied the near proximity of magic was unmistakeable. Both Vanille and Fang watched wide-eyed as a curtain of thunder boomed down from the heavens and hurled their attackers backwards away from them. A familiar feeling pulsed from within Fang's hidden scorched white scar on her right arm, making her clench her jaw.

"L-Lightning!" Vanille gasped, goose bumps popping up on her arms as she gawked. It was said only Gran Pulsians still had the ability to wield magic. Cocoonians, having turned their backs on the old gods, lost their magical abilities as a result, now relying solely on the whatever technology they could develop. To see Lightning wielding such power was absolutely mind boggling. That just wasn't-

"Bastard!"

A PSICOM commando scrambled to his feet, levelling his weapon at Lightning as he rose. "You'll pay for that!"

In the commando's grasp was a modified Cocoon Energy Rifle Obliterator, CERO for short, a short to mid range energy beam rifle. It was usually only used when clearing vegetation away from the lower settlements on the mountain, and on occasion, to dissuade stray wildlife when they ventured too near. PSICOM however, had made some modifications to this particular rifle, transforming it into a weapon against people instead. With the press of the trigger, there was a half second delay of silence before a rumbling pulse shattered the quiet night air and a beam of condensed red energy shot out at Lightning like a laser.

"Tch."

The rooftop Lightning occupied exploded into a hail of brick, twisted metal and molten debris. Vanille yelped when she was literally swept off her feet by her fellow Pulsian, Fang leaping high into the air, eventually landing on a rooftop three buildings down in a crouched position from where they previously stood. Vanille was held firmly in her arms.

"Fang! We have to help him!"

Fang grunted, Vanille having unintentionally elbowed her in the ribs while flailing to break free of her grasp. "Oye! Vanille! Calm down!"

"But Fang-!"

_CRASH!_

Both Pulsians' attention snapped back to the scene ahead, Fang swallowing unconsciously as she caught sight of limp bodies being tossed into the air. The pulsing sensation in her scar magnified tenfold.

The airborne commandos landed with a sickening thud, something Fang could clearly hear from this distance due to her super human senses. Vanille cringed at the sight, leaning in closer to her sister.

"What... is he?" the redhead whispered, shaking.

"I... don't know," was all Fang could reply. Lightning's movements were so familiar to her, but for the life of her, Fang still couldn't figure out why. A blur of motion soon caught Fang's attention, a large form jumping between rooftops two buildings down from Lightning's position from behind the soldier.

"Etro!" Fang exclaimed, rising to her feet. "They've got reinforcements!"

A mechanized contraption like Fang and Vanille had never seen before narrowed in on the unknowing Lightning at an inhuman speed. It had to be at least fifteen feet in height, most of its body white in colour with its head, arms and legs painted in blue and bronze. An oval shaped shield made up its left arm with long antennas shooting out from its back to form some sort of protective spiky spine. On its right hand, fingers were stretched and wisp like, blue electricity crackling from its digits.

"He's gonna get blindsided!"

Kain's Lance was off of her back in one fluid motion, Fang's leg muscles immediately coiling in preparation for a long jump. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Fang questioned her sudden concern for the Cocoon soldier. He was still her enemy, in spite of her mission to form peace between nations. Yet, even so, she couldn't stop the ball of fear and anxiety from blooming in the pit of her stomach.

"Fang-"

"Stay here Vanille!"

And with that, Fang leapt high into the air.

* * *

"You'll pay for that!"

Lightning's eyes narrowed at the CERO.

"Tch."

For almost an hour, Lightning had been following the Pulsian duo through the back alleys of Eden City. Despite the Primarch's gracious warning and unheard of humble request, their _honoured_ guests still chose to disregard them and get themselves into trouble. But Lightning expected as much. The moment he locked eyes with Oerba Yun Fang, he knew the girl would be trouble. Hence, the current situation they landed themselves in.

Lightning sighed. He hated clean up duty.

Just as the explosion of red energy scorched the air, Lightning snapped his fingers, flipping backwards. A purple light enveloped his form, the Primarch's personal guard performing an impossible feat of gravity, flipping fifty feet into the air, thanks to his anti-gravity unit. The cloud of smoke which followed the missed attack covered his entry back towards the ground. Screams pierced the air from inside the now damaged building, the inhabitants fleeing into the street in a panic. Ice blue eyes narrowed again, upside down in the air. Lightning had to end things quickly before an innocent bystander got hurt. It would be a little too late to cover up the presence of the Pulsians now, but that would be dealt with later.

The attacking PSICOM commando blinked in surprise, staring at the half melted mess left in the wake of his CERO. "I... did it..." he said in shock, lowering his rifle. "I killed Lightning... I did it!"

The commando pumped his fist into the air. "I did it!" he exclaimed again, almost jumping up and down with glee. "That will show you not to mess with PSICOM!"

Lightning touched down on the ground just behind the offending commando. "All this shows me is how bad your aim is."

The PSICOM commando's eyes went wide in horror.

As powerful as the CERO was, it had one major flaw. In return for its powerful energy output and semi-scattered shot at point blank range, the user was temporarily blinded by its shot, making it hard to confirm whether or not the attack hit in the first place.

"Impos-"

Lightning cut the CERO wielding commando down before the man could finish his sentence. Lightning's gunblade was back in its holster the moment the PSICOM commando's blood was flicked from its blade.

"You're mine!"

Lightning rolled his eyes, side stepping to the right. A lunging PSICOM commando, with a dagger ready in his grasp to stab Lightning in the back, sailed wide of him. The commando stared at Lightning with wide eyes as the Primarch's personal guard turned to face him.

"I belong to no one."

Thunder condensed in Lightning's hand once more before exploding outwards, tossing anyone within a ten foot radius clean off their feet and high into the sky. Lightning noted three dull thuds unconsciously, his gaze immediately turning to face the thing which had suddenly blocked the light of the moon above him.

"Shi-"

Out of reflex, Lightning dove to the left, rolling out of the way of the landing mechanical form. The technological behemoth landed with a crunch, cratering the ground underneath it from its sheer weight. Just recently, PSICOM conducted coordinated strikes against the imperial barracks and storage houses all over the capital city. Most failed, but there were a sparse few which were partially succeeded. Of the things stolen, aside from some rifles and other low grade weaponry, a few automated defense prototypes were also taken. This had to be one of them.

"How do you like that!?" a voice exclaimed behind the re-purposed prototype. "You may act all tough Lightning, but with this thing, you'll die just like the rest of them!"

Lightning had barely a moment to blink before he was flipping backwards to dodge the massive shield of the machine, swung at him like an axe. The Primarch's personal guard grit his teeth, narrowly missing the flailing limb by an inch. Once on his feet again, Lightning's left hand shot forward, a Thundaga exploding forward at the mechanical giant to the sound of a sonic boom. The unit was pushed backwards on its feet by a few inches, digging ruts into the ground as it held its stance. Despite not being able to raise its shield up in time, it was visibly undamaged, the force of Lightning's Thundaga dissipating off of it like water rolling off a duck's back.

"This is... problematic..."

The mechanized beast lurched at Lightning, swinging its other arm at him, the one crackling with electricity. The Primarch's personal guard jumped backwards again, at the same time drawing his prized weapon from its holster. The swiping limb just missed Lightning by two inches, the near proximity of the electrified hand making the hairs on the back of his neck and arm raise from static. Lightning scowled. He wouldn't be able to take this one out on his own.

Contrary to popular belief, Lightning had neither armor nor energy barriers of his own. Armor was too bulky for his movements, and the energy barriers Cocoon specialized in required more tech on his person than Lightning liked. So he let speed and agility be his main defense, Lightning's not so well known magical abilities enhancing his strikes. The silver greaves, gauntlets and shoulder plates were nothing more than aesthetic appeal. None of that would help him now though, not when in mid dodge of yet another swiping electrical limb, the fingers of the re-purposed prototype elongated to triple their length and made contact with his gunblade.

Lightning screamed, the automaton's Sparkstorm attack flowing through his gunblade and into him. Muscles spasmed with electricity, the sweeping force of the mechanized creature's arm sending Lightning careening backwards into the nearest wall with bone crunching force. Had it not been for his flickering anti-gravity unit which coincidentally fritzed on just before he hit the wall, cushioning the blow before fizzling out, Lightning would have cracked his head open. Lightning flopped to the ground unceremoniously on his stomach, limp.

Lying in a daze, his mask cracked and his vision blurred, Lightning half consciously watched as the PSICOM machine advanced again. It stopped directly in front of him. With its eyes flashing red, the mechanical creation raised its shield arm before bringing it down upon Lightning's head for a killing blow.

_BOOM!_

The pavement underneath Lightning splintered and cratered, the ground trembling. Lightning shuddered slightly, his ears ringing from the attack. Then he blinked. Wait a minute. He should have been de-

"Hey Sunshine," called an accented voice in front of him.

Lightning looked up, his gaze first locking onto blue silk. Continuing upwards, Lightning caught sight of wild locks of black hair, tanned skin, and finally dazzling emerald eyes. Fang looked back over her shoulder at him.

"Mind givin' me a hand wit' this guy?" Fang gave Lightning a strained grin, her arms shaking with Kain's Lance rigidly held diagonally in front of her, blocking the mechanical creature's shield arm.

Lightning was mute. Deep within his chest a familiar feeling pulsed outwards, overwhelming him.

"What's the matter? Cat got yer tongue?"

The Primarch's personal guard stared at Fang, entranced at the sight of her. The Pulsian's bronze skin, along with the rest of her outfit shone a silvery white, magic clearly empowering her lowered stance for impregnable defense. The PSICOM machine withdrew its arm, swinging at Fang again, only for the same thing to happen.

Nothing.

An attack which would have cleaved a hover car in half, was stopped dead by the spear wielder. Fang was without a scratch.

"Damn savages!"

Lightning's gaze snapped to behind their mechanical attacker, two silhouettes forming behind it.

"You don't know when to lie down!"

A grunt.

"Maybe yer the ones who need ta lie down!"

In an impressive bought of strength, Fang pushed back the mechanized robot, sending it tumbling backwards on top of the remaining PSICOM commandos now converging on their position. A split second later, she was airborne, her weapon raised high above her.

"Back under yer rock!"

Both Fang and her spear came down upon the re-purposed prototype with an earth quaking bang.

Windows cracked and shattered. Pavement splintered and fissured. And dust and grit shot up into the air. The PSICOM machine was now nothing but scrap metal and sparking circuit boards.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, Fang sucked in a breath, rolling her shoulders back. That was an unexpected work out. The Pulsian chuckled at the rush of adrenaline still running through her veins. Who would have thought she'd be having this much fun?

A smirk.

Soldier boy was going to be so pissed about this. Fang just knew it. Lightning was definitely not the type to let others show him up. Fang couldn't wait to see his expression after all of this. The fool probably didn't even realize how dangerous she was. Not until now, that is. And so, with her typical grin ever present on her face, Fang turned back to face Lightning.

"Still alive back there, Sunsh-"

Fang's eyes widened when she suddenly found herself facing Lightning's rifle. The barrel was lined up with her forehead. There would be no dodging this one and Fang wasn't confident she could call up Steelguard in time either. Before she could even flinch, the rifle shifted to her left and two bullets zipped past her face with barely two inches of clearance. A couple of seconds later, two audible thuds sounded behind her. Fang swallowed, her gaze still on the rifle mere inches from her head. She unconsciously left out a breath of relief when Lightning lowered the rifle and re-holstered it.

"You missed two," was all Lightning said.

* * *

_~ Back to the Present ~_

"Fang."

The said Pulsian turned to look at her companion.

"We need to apologize."

Fang scowled. " For what? We jus' went out for a stroll. That ain't a crime."

A few of the imperial soldiers escorting them glanced in Fang's direction, but said nothing.

"_Fang._" Vanille gave her sister a stern look.

"_What?_" The older Pulsian was getting increasingly annoyed at being lectured.

"Lightning was pretty banged up after that fight."

"It's not my fault the bloke bit off more than he could chew." An image flashed to Fang's mind, one of an unsteady Lightning walking them back to the Imperial Palace, whose stiffened movements betrayed his pain. She didn't like it. Not one bit.

"You know that's not what happened."

Fang closed her eyes in frustration, muttering a Pulsian curse under her breath. A hand went up to cover the scar on her arm. "Fine," she relented, looking away.

Vanille smiled.

* * *

"You did what!"

"Everything is in my report, Primarch."

Serah Farron was in her bedroom, in the royal wing of the imperial palace. She stood at the foot of her bed, in nothing but her evening wear. A long, sleeveless robe which went down to her knees and made of pale pink, covered her form, loose locks of rose coloured hair hanging around her shoulders. In front of her was Lightning, still battered and bruised from his earlier bout with PSICOM less than an hour before.

"So let me get this straight," Serah said, starting to pace in front of Lightning. "You saw Yun Fang and Dia Vanille leave their room. When you followed them, and their intentions of leaving the palace became clear, you didn't stop them but instead let them go?"

"Yes," came a short and clipped answer.

"Then you proceeded to tail them as they left the palace grounds to explore the city, and allowed them to fall into a PSICOM trap."

"Correct."

Serah narrowed her eyes at Lightning. Unlike her usually intimidating look when doing that, the Primarch hardly looked scary right now. Lightning attributed that to Serah's pink nightgown.

"And you let them walk into that trap because...?"

"PSICOM needed to believe they were alone," Lightning stated. "They wouldn't have made an appearance if they knew I was nearby," the soldier in white continued. "I've recently received reports that they've grown more bold in their attempts to raid our prototypes. Not only that, they're quite eager to show off their prizes. That being the case, who better to show off against than our _guests_?"

Serah sighed, rubbing her eyes. It never failed to amaze the Primarch how meticulous Lightning could be. But in times like this, such a trait was more aggravating than endearing.

"Was risking the lives of the Pulsian diplomats really worth seeing if you were right or wrong?"

"I wasn't wrong," Lightning replied, coolly as ever. To everyone else but the Primarch, Lightning was the epitome of calm and collectedness. To Serah however, she knew very well how quickly her personal guard was getting annoyed with her questions.

"What if something happened to them while you were testing your theory, Lightning? What then?"

"Nothing happened."

"Clearly something did given your current state of dress."

Unlike Lightning's usually pristine and kept appearance, Lightning's garb currently sported splotches of dirt and grime all over it, the once ironed fabric creased and crinkled in a variety of places. There was also the faint smell of smoke surrounding Lightning's form, Serah silently swearing that his gloves were a bit blacker than a tumble in the dirt should have left them. And his mask, Lightning's mask was visibly cracked for the first time Serah had ever seen it since Lightning became her personal guard.

Lightning's eyes narrowed behind his mask slightly, but he said nothing. He was scowling without a doubt, Serah knew.

"They were unharmed and PSICOM-"

"That is beside the point, Lightning," Serah interrupted, clenching her fist at her side. Tension and anger slowly bubbled from within. "For you to have knowingly and willingly put Dia Vanille and Yun Fang-

"Pulse is our _ENEMY,_" Lightning said, overriding Serah's rebuttal. "We have been at war with them for centuries. _Centuries._ Even now we still don't know much about them, and for you to allow them to wander our home so freely-"

"Lightning, stop," Serah said, gritting her teeth.

"Have you forgotten who was responsible for our King and Queen's death?" Fists squeaked at Lightning's sides, the white robed soldier taking an imposing step forward. "Have you forgotten all of the ones who've died at their hands?"

"Lightning, enough."

"How many more will be taken by them too?"

"Lightning-"

"I am not going to sit idly by while these savages taint Cocoon!"

"I said enough!"

_SMACK!_

Lightning's mask hit the floor with a clatter, shattering into pieces.

"Enough, Claire," Serah pleaded, shaking. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. She pulled back her outstretched red, stinging palm to her chest. "Enough."

Wide blue eyes looked away.

A quiet apology. "I'm sorry, Serah."

Lightning spoke not those words. Nor was it Lightning who embraced Serah as she grabbed at white cloth and buried her face in it. Pink hair, a shade darker than Serah's spilled out from white garb. In place of Lightning's fake, synthesized manly voice was a more feminine one, one which belonged to the believed dead Claire Farron, Serah's older sister and only remaining living relative to this date. Claire wrapped her arms around Serah's shaking shoulders, rubbing her back gently.

"Why are you so hung up about this?" Serah looked up into her sister's eyes. "This is not about PSICOM, or our stolen tech, or the war, is it?"

"Serah-"

"Is it?"

It would be Claire who broke their joint gaze first, looking off to the side.

"What is it about Oerba Yun Fang that bothers you so much?"

Claire pursed her lips and frowned. A ghostly echo pulsed from within her breast.

"Is it because she said she knew you from before?" Claire's arms tightening around her was Serah's response. "It's only been a day and you're already obsessed with her."

"I am not obsessed with her," Claire snapped, betraying her true feelings.

Serah gave Claire a knowing look.

The older Farron frowned again, looking away. "It's just that..."

Serah remained quiet, giving her sister the chance to speak. Their relationship had never been an easy one, it was none existent in fact up, until three years ago when Claire suddenly showed up at the palace gates as Lightning. Serah was shocked to say the least, to learn that her sister was alive almost eleven years after everyone thought her to be dead.

It had been hard at first, getting the older Farron to open up. Claire was practically a robot then, running on automatic, fulfilling every wish and whim Serah saw fit. Serah didn't know what had happened to her sister during those missing years, but the Primarch could only assume it was something horrific. Claire didn't remember anything from her life before then, not even Serah, her little sister, her flesh and blood. And that hurt the youngest pinkette more than she wanted to admit.

Found by the wanderer Amodar, Claire was raised to be a soldier. For her. Serah's own personal guard. In spite of living the life of a wanderer, having no inclination to take sides in the war, Amodar still kept in contact with the royal Cocoon family over the years. Apparently he was a long time friend of the King, Serah and Claire's father. Despite this fact, no one knew why he hid Claire from them for so long, not that anyone knew of Lightning's true identity aside from Serah and Amodar. When questioned about it, Amodar's response was only that the time wasn't right before then. Shortly after leaving Lightning under the Primarch's care, Amodar was gone again, wandering off once more.

"I can't remember..." came the murmur which broke Serah out of her thoughts. "Any of it. And yet... yet... I feel as if I know her."

Code named Lightning, the eldest Farron was deadly and ruthless, unforgiving and more skilled with the gunblade than anyone Serah knew. But as they spent more and more time with each other, Serah saw glimpses of her sister, the one she knew as a child. The caring Claire who chased away the boogeyman in the closet and the sock eating monsters under the bed. The kind Claire who let Serah nap on her lap when she was tired. The protective Claire who beat up bullies when they picked on her little sister. And while that had been enough for both of them before, their tentative bond fragile yet tangible, with the emergence of Oerba Yun Fang, things got turned on their head again.

"You're scared," Serah said in sudden realization. How had she not realized this earlier?

Claire gritted her teeth.

"You're afraid of what you might remember."

It was Claire's turn to shake now. She gripped at the back of Serah's nightgown tightly.

"That's why you've always worn that mask," Serah continued. "Not to hide your identity because of the Yeul's prophecy, but to shield you from your past. It's not that people couldn't know who you were, you didn't want to know who you used to be."

Claire clenched her jaw, turning her gaze away.

"Oerba Yun Fang is the key to all of this. Isn't she?"

Claire remained silent, refusing to look at Serah.

"Cl-"

_KNOCK! KNOCK! _

Serah jumped at the intrusion, clutching harder to her sister. Claire on the other hand growled, looking menacingly at the door.

"Who is it?" Serah questioned when she found her voice again.

"Pardon the intrusion," came the voice through the door. "But Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille request an audience with you, Primarch."

* * *

___**A/N: **__The CERO was inspired by the attack Cero from the anime Bleach. _

___The robot that Lightning and Fang were fighting was an Orion from the first game. I tweaked it slightly to be resistant to lightning attacks._


	5. Past Lives

**The ****Kingdom ****of ****Etro**

**A/N**_:__ And the next chapter is here! __As __romance__ is not __my __strong __suit, __expect __some __character __OOCness._

_On another note, I created another FFXIII-2 video! This time, Serah takes the limelight. You can find the video, __Serah's Retribution__, here (take out the spaces): __**www . youtube watch?v=ecg7gfYHVXI&feature=plcp**_

_For __all __of__ you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ MasterPro __- __Thanks __for __the __review. __Yep, __that __apology __ain't __gonna __be __easy. __Fang's __a __bit __prideful __like __that,__ but __then __again, __Lightning__ is __too. __Lol. __I'm __happy __to __know __you're __enjoying __my __story __so __far. __I __hope __you'll __continue __to __read __it __as __it __progresses. __:)_

_ tlrc __- __Thanks __for __the __review. __Fear __not, __there __will __be __plenty __of __action__ to __come. __I __think __that's __something __consistent__ in__ all __of __my __stories. __There __will __always __be __action __scenes, __they're__ so __much __fun __to __write._

**Disclaimer**_: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to__ me. __The __stories __that __I__ write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 5: Past Lives ~ ***

A groan.

"I don't believe this."

White marbled hallways lined with silk red carpets spanned in four different directions. Drapery made of the highest quality thread were pulled to the side, allowing for sunlight to shine through the floor to ceiling windows which lined each corridor. Opposite the windows were doors, too many to count, all of them closed and most likely locked. Fang had tried opening a few of them before to no avail. Just short of kicking them in, the doors remained sealed.

"I coulda sworn the banquet hall was this way..."

Fang's hand rested on her hip, the huntress grimacing as she scanned each of the hallways before her. She was currently in the middle of a four way junction, in some seemingly abandoned wing of the Imperial Palace. She was utterly clueless as to how to reach her destination. All the passageways looked the same. And it wasn't like there was someone around to point her in the right direction.

The lancer sighed. "I shoulda gone down wit' Vanille for breakfast earlier," she muttered in annoyance.

"What are you doing?"

Fang spun around in an instant, automatically reaching for her spear. To her surprise, the Primarch allowed the Pulsian quartet to keep their weapons with them, making no motion to have them removed while in her company. Fang wasn't quite sure what the pinkette was up to with that, but she knew it wasn't something sinister. The Primarch most likely didn't consider them to be a threat. A naive assumption for the leader of all Cocoon, in Fang's opinion. Then again, Serah Farron reminded Fang so much of Vanille, so maybe that shouldn't have been a surprise.

"No answer?"

The unsheathing of a sword.

Ice blue eyes narrowed at Fang, the bronze warrior now facing the last person she wanted to see.

Lightning.

How the soldier in white snuck up on her without her noticing, Fang did not know. One moment she was alone, and in the next, Lightning was just... there. The sudden appearance of the Cocoonian caused Fang to reminisce on the previous night's festivities.

* * *

_~ The __night __before ~  
_

"What are ya, deaf? I said we want ta see the Primarch. _Now._"

Captain Snow Villiers sighed heavily, his hands raised, hoping to placate the irate Pulsians (or rather one Pulsian) close to butting heads with him. He was already annoyed and frustrated at this point, having just been informed of their guests' unauthorized tour of the capital city upon their return. Lightning was not very pleased to say the least, the Primarch's personal guard chewing him out for almost an hour once catching sight of him. All the while, Snow pretended not to see the tears in the man's clothing and the dirt smeared across his garb. It was truly a concerning sight, a less than perfect looking Lightning. The Cocoon Captain had never seen the man so ruffled before, in all his years of service under the Primarch. Either PSICOM got the drop of them (which was unlikely, this was Lightning after all), or something else far more dangerous was going on out there.

"Please understand Ms. Yun," Snow said, once again trying to reason with the increasingly vocal woman. "It's late and the Primarch has already retired to her chambers-"

"That's Oerba Yun Fang, Viper!" Fang snarled, taking a menacing step closer to the blonde. She and Vanille were at the doors leading out of their wing of the Imperial Palace, facing Snow who was flanked by five other guards. Fang and Vanille were by themselves, Lebreau and Gadot having been told to remain in their rooms until directed otherwise.

"Fang, settle down," Vanille said, tugging on her sister's arm. The redhead could only sigh, knowing just how difficult Fang could be when she set her mind to something. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea, convincing Fang to apologize tonight...

"What's all this noise?"

The new voice forced Fang to pause, turning to face the speaker. The voice belonged to an older man, Fang noted, one with dark skin, darker than anyone she'd seen (even in her kingdom) before, his hair coiffed like the head of a white mushroom.

"My apologies Advisor Katzroy," Snow said, both relieved and annoyed to see the man. "But-"

"Sazh...?" Vanille gawked, doing a double take. Her hands went up to her mouth.

The newcomer blinked. "Vanille? It that you?"

It took all of half a second for the youngest Dia to react.

"Sazh!" Vanille ran up to the older man and tackled him into a hug.

Fang could only gape at her sister's familiarity with the Cocoon Advisor.

"Maker! Look at how you've grown!" Advisor Katzroy said, stumbling backwards from the sudden weight thrown at him. He soon set the redhead down on her feet again, pulling away to look at Vanille's face. "When I heard we had guests from Gran Pulse, I never thought it would be you."

A giggle.

"I'm just full of surprises, huh?" Vanille was absolutely beaming.

"Advisor Katzroy," Snow said, clearing his throat. "You know these... our... guests...?"

"Yeah," Fang commented, clearly irritated. It seemed this Advisor Katzroy and Vanille knew each other, and more than just friends at that. That irked Fang more than she wanted to admit.

"Jus' who the hell are ya?"

"Fang!" Vanille scolded, giving her older sibling a look. "Show some respect!"

The dark skinned man laughed. "It's alright Vanille," he said unfazed. "My apologies."

The advisor straightened himself out, turning to look at Fang and Snow squarely. Vanille bounced on her feet lightly, to his left.

"My name is Sazh Katzroy, royal Advisor to the Primarch."

The lancer stared.

Katzroy... Katzroy... Ever since she heard that name, something about it bothered her. It was both familiar and fleeting at the same time.

"Surely you haven't forget all about Sazh already, Fang," Vanille said, an amused glint in her eyes.

"Of course I haven't!" Fang quickly replied, miffed. Oerba Yun Fang never forgot anything, or anyone. Nor did she show weakness to anyone. Except for maybe Vanille.

Sazh chuckled, watching the variety of expressions cross over the other Pulsian's face. Some things never changed it seemed. "I can understand your confusion," Advisor Katzroy said, looking at Fang sympathetically. "I did look a bit different back then, what, with a chocobo chick in my hair and all."

At the mention of a chocobo chick, the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

"Katzroy?!" Fang exclaimed in both shock and disbelief. "As in the lost clan of Gran Pulse archers?"

* * *

"It's been what... over ten years now since that happened?"

Sazh, Fang and Vanille were now travelling through the Imperial Palace, towards the once restricted Royal Wing. It took a bit of time, but Sazh managed to convince the good captain of the Primarch's army to leave their guests under his guidance for the rest of the night. He assured the blonde that no harm would come to their fateful leader while in his presence. If all they wanted to do was apologize, then it made no sense in making them wait until morning, especially when they (namely Fang) were so adamant about it. Though reluctant, Captain Villiers acquiesced and left the Pulsians in Advisor Katzroy's care, all of them going their separate ways shortly afterwards.

"Ten whole years," Sazh repeated, his voice both wistful and regretful.

"Yeah," Fang said, a bit snappish. "Ya said that already."

Fang was irritated.

It was one thing to know there were other Gran Pulsians in Cocoon without them knowing, but it was entirely different thing to know those same Gran Pulsians had stayed on this cursed mountain of their own volition. For ten years no less. Siding with their mortal enemy.

The war had been brutal, for both sides. Both Cocoon and Gran Pulse suffered horrible causalities. One of the worst cases of fighting happened just over ten years ago, a day which later become known as the Day of Etro's Wrath. Almost a thousand Gran Pulse warriors lost their lives that day, including Fang's parents and clan, and what was thought to be the entirety of the Katzroy clan, the best archers in all of the kingdom. Yet here Fang was, ten years later, talking to a Katzroy, Sazh's signature muff of hair the key identifier to his claim. Fang couldn't but feel bitter about it all. Why hadn't her parents survived also? Why hadn't Claire? And just how many of their kingdom's secrets had this Advisor Katzroy spilled while under the enemy's _asylum_?

"Fang!" Vanille reprimanded, scolding her older sister yet again. Fang could be so grumpy at times.

Sazh smiled. "It's alright Vanille," he said. "I would be a shocked too, to know that there were Gran Pulsians voluntarily living under Cocoon's reign. It's not an easy fact to swallow. Hell, even I can't believe it from time to time."

Vanille sent Fang a look when the older Pulsian opened her mouth to say something. "I'm sure you had your reasons," the redhead said, cutting off whatever Fang had wanted to say. Vanille frowned though, she herself unsettled with this startling revelation.

Sazh was an honourable man, the type of warrior who would die for his family and his kingdom without hesitation. When it was thought all of the Katzroy clan had been wiped out all those years ago, Vanille cried for hours. The youngest Dia didn't remember much of her blood father. He had passed away when she was really young. And while her mother did everything to ensure Vanille was raised properly without any regrets, Vanille didn't know what she was missing until Sazh came into her life. Her mother never bonded again, yet even still, Sazh was every much the father that Vanille had never had. So for him to go and do something like this, there had to be a really good reason behind it.

"You're damn straight I do," Sazh said, breaking Vanille out of her thoughts.

The trio momentarily paused at a set of double doors, guarded by a quartet of heavily armed imperial guards. This was the twelfth unit of guards they had come across since entering into this particular wing. Not to mention, these guards looked more menacing than the rest before them, almost fal'Cie like in their statuesque stances and heavy looking weaponry. The Pulsian duo could only assume this was the famed Royal Wing of the Imperial Palace. There was certainly enough guards in this place for it not to be, enough to make up over a dozen Gran Pulse hunting squads. With a few quick words and a nod from Sazh, the trio was allowed access into what would be the last of the corridors before reaching their destination.

"I used to believe I knew everything there was to this war," Sazh continued, upon passing through the heavily guarded threshold. "It was supposed to be simple. Cocoon was our enemy. That's all there was to it. Either kill or be killed."

"But lemme guess," Fang said, more bored than originally snippy. "Somethin' happened which made ya reconsider thin's."

Vanille shot her sister an irritated look, but that did little to dissuade the elder man from speaking.

Advisor Katzroy nodded solemnly, still looking ahead. "There were things that happened which even I still don't understand. And trust me, I've been trying to figure it out for the past ten years without much luck."

"What do you mean, Sazh?" Vanille asked, genuinely curious. "What really happened all those years ago? None of the elders could really tell me, even now."

It wasn't so much of a case of the elders hiding things from them, it was simply that no one knew what happened exactly that day.

"What is there ta know?" Fang questioned, the lancer at this point, tired of this drawn out conversation. They were nearing their target, the smell of the Primarch quickly coming to Fang's nose the closer they came to the monolithic doors at the end of the hallway.

"It was Cocoon who started this bloody war," Fang continued. "An' ten years ago was jus' an example of how far they'd go ta get what they want."

The huntress wasn't looking forward to bowing her head to anyone, a Cocoonian no less, no matter how nice she was. They hadn't done anything wrong after all. But Vanille, that little bugger, had practically twisted her arm behind her back with that puppy dog look, one of which she knew Fang couldn't resist. So Fang agreed to apologize. And when a Yun said they'd do something, it would get done. No matter what.

"Are you so sure?" Sazh asked the spear wielding warrior, looking over his shoulder.

Fang's gaze levelled with Sazh's. "Jus' what are ya tryin' ta say, old man?"

Sazh looked between Fang and Vanille, his smile strained. "Not everything is as it seems," he said after a moment of silence.

Neither Fang nor Vanille liked the look the Cocoon Advisor gave them. It was a look as if the weight of the entire world were on Sazh's shoulders, threatening to break him.

"What are you saying, Sazh?" Vanille said, concern in her jade coloured eyes. "Are you saying what happened ten years ago wasn't Cocoon's fault?"

"Vanille!" Fang exclaimed. She clenched a fist. "Jus' listen ta what yer sayin'! Not Cocoon's fault? Whose fault would it be then?! It certainly wasn't ours!"

Fang gritted her teeth, her heart beating faster in her chest at the insinuation of what she knew growing up to be a farce. That was just unfathomable though. Cocoon started this war. They took her friends. They took her family and clan. They took... well... someone else very precious to her. She would never forgive them. Any of them. Cocoonians were all the same. Greedy, selfish and gutless bastards who deserved nothing but a painful death. At least, that was the mantra she repeated to herself often enough. Somewhere in the back of her mind however, Fang couldn't but feel like she was missing something, something very important. Not to mention, after meeting the Primarch, her once narrowed vision of the Cocoonian people became less so.

"_You're __scared,__" _a new voice said suddenly.

The Pulsian lancer flinched in surprise, immediately recognizing the speaker as the Cocoon Primarch.

"Look, can we change the topic?" Sazh said, uncomfortably. "I've said too much already."

"_You're __afraid __of __what __you __might __remember.__"_

It was a little disorienting at first, but Fang quickly came to realize that she was the only one hearing the pinkette's voice. Thankfully she wasn't losing her mind, as the voice was clearly coming from the end of the hallway. It was only due to Fang's heightened senses that she heard the Primarch's voice from this distance. Neither Sazh nor Vanille showed any signs of hearing the Cocoon leader at all.

"I could have just been seeing things all those years ago after all," Sazh continued, dismissively, the door they sought less than twenty feet away.

"_That's __why __you've __always __worn __that __mask,__"_ the Primarch's voice continued_._

"But Sazh!" Vanille protested. "Why bring this up if you didn't think it was important in the first place?"

"Forget I said anything at all, Vanille," Sazh said. "I don't want to be confusing you, now of all times."

"_Not to hide your identity because of the Yeul's prophecy, but to shield you from your past."_

"Fang," Vanille whined. "Say something!" The redhead looked to her sister expectantly, hoping for a little support in getting Sazh to spill the beans.

"_It's not that people couldn't know who you were, you didn't want to know who you used to be."_

To Fang's credit, she was trying her hardest to keep up with the current conversation, but all of that was for nought the moment the Primarch uttered her next few words.

"_Oerba Yun Fang is the key to all of this. Isn't she?"_

Emerald coloured eyes widened in surprise, Fang's mouth dropping open in shock. Just as she realized the three of them were now stopped in front of the Primarch's personal chamber doors, before she could stop him, Sazh promptly knocked on the door, ending both conversations.

"Who is it?" came the Primarch's voice through the door moments later.

"Pardon the intrusion," Advisor Katzroy said without missing a beat. "But Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille request an audience with you, Primarch."

* * *

_~ Back __to __the __present ~_

"Do not make me repeat myself again, Pulsian. What. Are. You. Doing?"

Lightning's words drew Fang out of her thoughts, a grin immediately stretching the lancer's face in reaction. This caused the soldier in white to narrow his eyes further at the her.

"What's so funny?" Lightning questioned.

Fang released the hold on her spear and crossed her arms over her chest. She smirked. "That's _Gran_ Pulsian ta ya, _Viper_." There was a dangerous edge to her tone, yet her typical playfulness was still there.

Lightning raised his gunblade that much higher.

"What?" Fang's smirk widened. "Can't a girl take a nice stroll every now an' a then? Ya know, ta see the sights?"

The hand around Lightning's gunblade hilt tightened. "I didn't think you even knew the meaning of such a thing."

Fang just laughed. "If ya wanted ta join me that badly Sunshine, all ya had ta do was say so."

"_Not __everything __is __as __it __appears __to __be,__"_ Sazh's words echoed in Fang's head.

_Don't __I __know __it._ Fang watched with growing amusement as Lightning's eyes narrowed to mere slits of crystal blue. The Pulsian didn't know why, but she found it so easy to tease the soldier, something most people wouldn't be caught dead attempting. The real mystery however, was why Lightning let her get away with such things in the first place. Fang knew that if anyone else had tried such a thing, they would have been killed on the spot. Or maimed.

Fang attributed her boldness (or to some, stupidity) to her kindred spirit. It was a means of testing her opponents, not only in physical skill but in mental wit as well. After all, what good was a rival who was great in battle but as smart as a rock? That of course was just an excuse she used to hide her real concerns and fears. Fang had never felt more comfortable with anyone else aside from Vanille, and that truly troubled her.

Something about Lightning beckoned her towards him, like a moth to an open flame. And every moment that went by, strengthened Fang's resolve to find out just why that was. Especially after overhearing that conversation from last night. Fang didn't forget the man's look when he and the Primarch met them in one of the imperial meeting rooms half an hour later. Crystal blue eyes looked at her, and only at her, the whole time.

"What happened to your escorts?" Lightning demanded, the soldier having not moved an inch from his original position.

"Dunno," Fang said with the shrug of her shoulders. "By the time I woke up, no one was outside." Without a doubt, that was Vanille's doing. The redhead knew how much Fang loathed their _bodyguards_ and had probably sent them on a wild goose chase so as not to disturb the last surviving Yun.

Lightning glared at Fang. The soldier was probably making a mental note right about now, to reprimand a certain Cocoon Captain later.

"Hey Light!"

Soft footsteps ran up towards the pair, causing both of them to look in the direction of the distraction.

"Ligh- Oh..." A silver haired boy skidded to a stop, just ten feet away from them. He had to be in his mid teens by Fang's guess.

"M-my apologies," the boy continued. "I didn't mean to interrupt you."

The lancer gave the boy a once over. If memory served her correctly, this boy was one of the many Imperial Attendants running around the palace. More so messengers and guides than heavy lifters, young ones like this were much better suited as such. And with good reason too. In Fang's estimate, this young lad wouldn't last even an hour in the wilderness surrounding Gran Pulse. He looked so frail and much too easily intimidated, especially when he cringed visibly under her curiously look.

"Hope."

Emerald coloured eyes darted back to the soldier in white. Fang didn't miss the slightly softer look and tone the Cocoonian guard gave the boy.

The one named Hope looked nervously between Lightning and Fang, more so at Fang. It was quite obvious he wasn't completely comfortable in her presence. Fang smirked inwardly at that. That meant he knew who she was. And while the Pulsian huntress was never the type to gloat over such things, Fang couldn't but feel accomplished in making this boy squirm.

When Lightning didn't say anything further, Hope took that as his cue to continue.

"The Primarch has arrived for breakfast," the teen attendant informed the pair. "She was wondering if you'd be joining her."

Lightning's gaze went back to Fang. After a silent few seconds, he spoke. "I will," Lightning said. "Just after I... take care of... this."

It was now Fang's turn to narrow her eyes at Lightning. She did not appreciate the tone he was using, especially when it came to her. Nor did she like the way he was currently looking at her. What the hell was his problem? She had done nothing to deserve such disrespect.

"Hope." Lightning's voice was firm and unwavering.

"Yes Light?" Hope said immediately in response.

Fang wanted to gag. The young boy practically had stars in his eyes when looking at Lightning. He clearly idolized the man, but did he have to be all love sick puppy about it? His overly enthusiastic reply was sickening. Just who the hell did he think he was? The man's name was LIGHTNING, not _Light_. Such casual use of the soldier's name was unacceptable! If there was anyone who could call the Primarch's personal guard as such, it would be Oerba Yun Fang! Fang swallowed forcefully, ignoring that awful feeling in the pit of her stomach, something she'd later realize to be jealousy.

"I have a job for you."

"Really?" Hope could barely hold back his excitement, but he did his best. It was not everyday Lightning assigned him something to do.

"Escort our guest to the banquet hall."

"Sure thing, Light!" Hope said instantly. Then his brain caught up with his mouth. "W-wait! What?"

"WHAT?" Fang exclaimed at the same time.

"I will follow you shortly after that."

"Now wait jus' a minute!" Fang took one intimidating step towards Lightning. If he thought he could just order her arou-

_CLICK._

Fang quickly found herself face to face with the end of Lightning's gunblade in rifle form. She froze, her jaw clenching in anger.

"The Primarch may have given you free reign in our home," Lightning began. "But do not expect the same from me. You can go to breakfast of your own free will, or..."

The safety latch was removed on the gunblade.

"I can force you to."

Lightning narrowed his eyes at Fang, openly challenging her to defy him.

"It's your choice."

Hope held his breath in nervous anticipation. A long and tense silence passed between the pair before Fang smirked and took a step forward. "Go ahead," she said, as if she wasn't currently staring death down in the form of Lightning's gunblade. Her gaze locked onto the soldier's.

"Do it," she taunted. Fang took another step forward.

Lightning didn't move an inch.

"What's the matter?" Fang continued, when she got no response out of the soldier. "Ya can't, can ya?"

Another step forward. And then another. And another.

"Because if ya could, I wouldn't be here right now. Am I right?"

Hope could only gawk as Cocoon's guest continued to laugh in Lightning's face.

"But I am here, right now," Fang said. "Which means that Primarch of yers probably forbade ya from doin' anythin' ta me."

Fang's forehead was now pressed up against the barrel of Lightning's gunblade rifle. "An' all of this-"

The Pulsian's hand wrapped around Lightning's gloved one, the one holding the rifle to her head, squeezing his hand against his weapon. Lightning only had two options now: Shoot, or not. Unconsciously, Fang noted just how small Lightning's hand was, a hand much too small to belong to a man's.

"- is jus' for show."

For one brief moment, Fang actually thought she'd push the man too far, feeling his trigger finger twitch ever so slightly. But then Lightning wrenched his hand and rifle out of her grip and took two steps backwards, putting distance between them.

"Thought so," Fang said, smugly, in triumph. Inwardly, she breathed in relief. She was actually expecting him to lash out at her after that stunt. Thankfully, that was not the case.

Hope's jaw would have hit the floor had it not been attached to his face. This was the first time he had ever seen anyone go head to head with Lightning and... win.

"Hey Hope," came an accented voice, snapping the boy out of his shock.

"Y-yes?" Hope answered, his voice almost cracking in fear.

"Yer supposed ta lead me somewhere, no?" Fang looked at the silver haired teen expectantly.

Hope nodded hesitantly.

"Well? What are ya waitin' for? I'm hungry ya know!"

"R-right!" Hope replied, immediately turning about face before scampering off down the way he came. "T-this way!" he called over his shoulder. Fang turned to follow after him.

"If any harm comes to him," Lightning said behind Fang, a threat clearly heard in his voice. "You and I will be talking again."

Fang spun around to say something in response, only to find herself looking back at an empty hallway. She grinned, shaking her head. It was just like Lightning to do that. The man, without a doubt, was bitter after losing that bout. And Fang herself was feeling rather proud. Somehow, it never struck the lancer as strange, the feeling that she'd known the soldier for years instead of days.

Turning back to the corridor Hope disappeared down, Fang started jogging after the boy before she got lost for the second time of the day. Vanille was going to be so mad at her when she found out what happened. Fang could only laugh to herself at that thought.

As the Pulsian disappeared down the corridor, from the shadows, a pair of crystal blue eyes watched Fang like a hawk. With the hallway now clear of people aside from himself, Lightning walked back to stand in the middle of it. A shaking hand came up to his face. Fang's touch was warm and soft, Lightning feeling that even through his gloves. But that was not the most troubling part of it all. No, the most troubling part was the fact that Lightning had felt that same touch before, many years prior.

* * *

Morning turned into afternoon which soon turned into evening, bringing yet another day of negotiations to an end. Like the previous day, many things were discussed but not much headway was made. That was to be expected of course, as some of the issues between kingdoms stemmed from events over a hundred years ago. Nevertheless, Serah Farron hoped it wouldn't have started to drag this early on.

Today, the Primarch decided, it was time to bring her advisors into the conversation. That was a complete disaster, most of them and their guests bickering the entire time. What started off as a congenial conversation, quickly turned into a finger pointing blamefest. As a result, Serah's head currently pounded something fierce, like a blacksmith hammer beating on an anvil non stop. So after a small dinner, she retired to her room for the remainder of the night, looking forward to a restful sleep.

But sleep would not come to her.

"No..."

Small hands gripped tightly at silk white sheets, sweat drizzling down a pale brow.

"Stop..."

Images flashed behind closed eyelids, the Primarch trapped in something akin to a nightmare.

"Don't... Lightning..."

A glowing purple eye. The scent of freshly spilt blood. A white stallion and a black dragon. And Lightning, stained in red. Claire was stained red.

"NO!"

Something clamped down on her shoulders, Serah lashing out at her unknown attacker, screaming.

"Serah!"

Claire gritted her teeth after taking a full smack to the face, one of which sent her face mask tumbling to the ground with a clatter. She had just returned from making her normal rounds for the evening, momentarily checking in on the Primarch before heading off to the adjoining washroom to clean up. All thoughts of a shower was immediately forgotten the moment she heard Serah cry out.

_SLAP!_

"Serah!" Claire shouted again, shaking the younger Farron by the shoulders. She ignored the harsh stinging in her cheek. "It's me! Calm down! Serah!"

That last shout seemed to do the trick, the Primarch momentarily freezing as bleary, watery blue eyes snapped open in a daze.

"Claire?" Serah blinked rapidly, breathing raggedly.

"It was just a dream, Serah," Claire said, lessening on her hold on the Primarch's shoulders. While it wasn't unusual for the smaller pinkette to have nightmares over the years, this had to be the worst one yet in a long time. It didn't escape Claire, the fact that Serah's nightmares started happening more frequently since the arrival of the_ honoured guests_.

"You're... alright..." Serah murmured, tears falling from her eyes. "Oh Claire! I was so scared!" Serah buried her face in Claire's chest, wrapping her arms around her sister and squeezing her tightly.

Claire stroked Serah's hair softly. "It was just a dream, Serah," she whispered, frowning at how much the smaller Farron trembled against her. "You're safe. I would never let anything happen to you."

The two sisters remained that way for a few quiet minutes, the Primarch eventually settling down into sniffles.

"Stay with me tonight?" Serah asked, looking up at her guardian and sister with puffy red eyes.

"Serah, I-"

"Please?"

Any further protests Claire may have had disappeared instantly. "Alright."

Armor was stripped from Claire's form and left on the floor next to the Primarch's generously sized bed. So too was Lightning's gunblade, though that was propped up against the side of the bed in case of emergencies. With her boots now off, Claire slipped under the covers to lie next to her sister. Serah immediately cuddled against the older Farron the moment she did. The Primarch sighed happily.

Serah truly missed moments like this. Such a thing was a common occurrence as children, but those were quickly stolen away when Serah lost her father and sister those many years ago. The soft beating of Claire's heart quickly lulled the Primarch into a peaceful slumber, Serah never feeling any safer than in her sister's arms. After contentedly watching her sister sleep for a few minutes, Claire Farron waved her free hand near the digital dial next to the bed, causing the room's lights to shut off completely. With one last glance around the now darkened room, the eldest Farron curled in closer to her sister and closed her eyes to sleep too.


	6. From the Chaos

**The ****Kingdom ****of ****Etro**

_**A/N**: And the next chapter is up!_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ MasterPro - Thanks for the review! :) I think everyone was waiting for Fang to get it in the jaw, but if you really think about it, do you really think Lightning would do such a thing with Hope so close by and watching? XD As for Serah's nightmares, I really can't say much. You'll just have to wait and see what happens next. :P_

_ Guest - Thanks for the review. ^^ I'm flattered you missed me so much. :) It's nice to know you're enjoying the story so far. Things will be getting pretty complicated really soon. so stay tuned for that. ;)_

_ Guest - Thanks for the review. ^^ My goodness, with yourself glued to the computer all the time, doesn't that make things hard when you want to do other stuff? Lol. XD Fear not, there's plenty of chapters left to go in this one. So it won't be ending anytime soon. ;)_

_ Co1121 - Thanks for the comment. ^^ I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. We're not even halfway into the story yet, so expect lots of updates to come. :)_

**Disclaimer**_: __The __characters__ and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 6: From the Chaos ~ ***

Lightning was distracted.

"I beg your pardon?"

For days now, the Primarch's personal guard had been distracted.

"Ya heard me."

With what exactly? Serah didn't know. Lightning had yet to say anything about his distraction, nor would he unless the Primarch confronted him directly about it. Serah suspected it had something to do with a certain raven haired Pulsian, the same one currently arguing with one of her advisors about something or the other. But all she had was a feeling, no proof. That is, if you didn't take into consideration Hope's nervous looks at Oerba Yun Fang a few days ago, upon escorting her to the banquet hall for breakfast. That, and Fang and Lightning's seemingly silent staring competition anytime they were in the same room as each other.

A sigh.

As if things weren't tough enough with these ongoing peace negotiations, ones of which were going nowhere, the Primarch now had this complication to deal with.

"How dare you!" Advisor Nabaat exclaimed on the Primarch's left.

Advisor Jihl Nabaat was a young Cocoonian, not much older than the Primarch herself. Long locks of dark blonde hair hung loosely about her shoulders, striking green eyes one of her most defining features. The Nabaat family was an old family in Cocoon, one which had a long tradition of seating advisors in the Primarch's Advisory Council over the years. Known for their intelligence and good looks, those in the Nabaat family were also known for their strong and unwavering bias against Cocoon's less technologically advanced neighbours. Something which was quite evident right now.

"How dare me?!" Fang shouted back.

Palms slammed down on the heavy oak table separating them all.

"Ya slander my people, my clan, wit' nothin' but lies and self delusion, an' ya expect me ta take it lyin' down?!" Oerba Yun Fang glared at the aggravating Cocoon woman, the Pulsian representatives taking up residence on the other side of the table from the Cocoonian representatives.

Advisor Sazh Katzroy sighed to the Primarch's right, sharing the pinkette's sentiment. "Here we go again," he muttered.

The Primarch's Advisory Council was composed of four advisors, each member residing from one the most notable of families in all of Cocoon. After the Farrons, the Estheims, the Nabaats, the Raines, and the Katzroys were what was left of the mountain society's founding families, the Katzroys being the newest addition to the group as of ten years ago due to special circumstances. The matter of which family ruled the population came down to a vote of the people, the Farrons now guiding the people for their ninety-seventy consecutive year. Currently, the spot to Advisor Nabaat's left was unoccupied, the chair for the Raines family representative empty as the Cocoon Advisor was given special leave to take care of his ailing father.

"Lies and self delusion?" Advisor Nabaat laughed. "Are you so full of yourself that you cannot see the truth?"

Primarch Farron sighed again, rubbing her temples with her fingers. The day's negotiations had only begun an hour ago, yet it felt like it'd been days already.

"This is not getting us anywhere," Advisor Estheim said on Advisor Katzroy's right. "Yelling at each other is no more useful than a child throwing a tantrum."

Advisor Bartholomew Estheim was among the eldest of the Cocoon Advisors, with the exception of Advisor Katzroy, his short dirty blonde hair slowly turning grey being evidence of that fact. He was also one of Cocoon's leading scientists for a number of years, having had a hand in many of Cocoon's technological achievements before he retired to join the Primarch's Advisory Council almost twenty years ago.

Unlike Advisor Nabaat, Advisor Estheim was open to the idea of peace between nations. Despite his distrust of the Pulsian people, something which stemmed from the death of his wife at their hand, Bartholomew Estheim wasn't so biased to let his own personal feelings cloud his judgement when it came to what was best for the population of Cocoon. And it was for that reason he was now on the receiving end of a few scowls.

"What do you suggest then?" Advisor Nabaat spat through clenched teeth.

Advisor Estheim looked to Advisor Katzroy before speaking. "I suggest getting another perspective on this matter, an outside perspective," he said, readjusting his glasses. "Someone who has not been caught up in the finer politics of this situation yet."

Advisor Nabaat laughed. The other Cocoon Advisor was surely joking. There was not one person she could think of who wasn't biased in one way or another. "Does such a person truly exist?"

This would be interesting.

"Actually," Primarch Farron said, speaking up for the first time in minutes. "There is one person that I know who fits that description."

The leader of all of Cocoon looked towards the wall of windows on the other side of the room. This particular part of the Imperial Palace was privy to one of the most spectacular scenes in the entirety mountain kingdom. Situated on the back edge of the mountain, one could see for miles, the lush green forestry highlighted with waterfalls and ravines, including the one hundred foot drop just beyond the edge of the windows.

"You can't be serious!" Advisor Nabaat said in exasperation.

"Oh, I'm completely serious," the Primarch said with a small smile. "Lightning?"

Like usual, Lightning stood in front of the floor to ceiling windows, staring out. With arms crossed over his chest, and a seemingly perpetual scowl always on his face (Serah was the only one who knew this was not the case), Lightning remained as still as a statue, with his back to everyone. Unlike usual however, it seemed he hadn't realized he was being talked to, nor did he seem to pick up on the fact that the conversation had all but stopped and was now focused on him. It wasn't like the soldier to miss out on what was going on around him. This caused Primarch Farron to frown in concern.

"Lightning?" the Primarch repeated, a bit louder this time.

Lightning still did not respond.

"Oye! Lightning!" Fang said, impatience getting the better of her. The Pulsian was eager to settle this current argument, if only to get Advisor Nabaat to shut up. That woman, that Advisor Nabaat really grated on Fang in the worst of ways, the annoying blonde making Lightning look like a saint.

Somewhere at the back of the lancer's mind, Fang noted Lightning's unusual behaviour. It was one thing to blatantly ignore her, Lightning and her weren't the best of friends at all. But it seemed so strange for the man to do that to the one he protected. Fang couldn't bring herself to ignore Vanille, no matter how annoying she could get at times, and if the relationship with her sister was anything like the relationship between the soldier and the Primarch, Lightning would never in a million years ignore the Cocoon Leader either. Something else was going on here.

"Wakey, wakey Sunshine."

That comment seemed to do the trick, much to the Primarch's surprise. Lightning flinched into awareness, turning his head in the direction of the bronze skinned warrior a moment later. It shocked the Primarch to see the surprised look on her bodyguard's face (as much as one could see with the mask on), the typical glare he usually sent Fang's way nowhere to be found.

"Glad ta have ya back wit' us," Fang said with a chuckle. Lightning currently had the cutest expression of puzzled curiosity as he looked at her. That was a first.

Lightning continued to stare.

"The Primarch's calling ya," Fang explained. She nodded in the direction of the pinkette.

The white garbed soldier watched the Pulsian huntress for another few seconds before turning towards his charge. "Primarch?"

Cocoon Primarch Serah Farron quirked an eyebrow. Never before had Lightning acted so... familiar with the Pulsian before. Her bodyguard was always so cold towards everyone, except for her. For Lightning to have behaved this way, many red flags raised in the Primarch's mind. But that would have to wait, for there were more important things to talk about right now.

"Your opinion, Lightning," the Primarch said. She waved a hand, gesturing towards the others in the room. "On the current situation of things between kingdoms and how we should proceed with peace negotiations."

Blue eyes went wide.

"With all due respect, Primarch," Lightning began. A quick glance around the room. "I don't believe I'm qualified to speak on such matters."

"No, he is not," Advisor Nabaat agreed all too quickly, glaring at the Primarch's personal bodyguard. She soon averted her gaze to the Primarch when Lightning matched her glare. "He has no experience in the intricacies these matters require. All he knows of is fighting."

"And perhaps that is why he would be the best candidate to give his opinion on it," Advisor Katzroy countered, much to Advisor Nabaat's utter loathing. "It is because he has not been jaded by politics and has seen first hand what this war is all about, which makes his perspective different."

Cocoon Advisor Jihl Nabaat laughed. "It figures you would say that," she said, venom dripping from her tone.

Advisor Katzroy narrowed his eyes. "And just what are you trying to insinuate?" By nature, Cocoon Advisor Sazh Katzroy was a tolerant and patient man. But when in the presence of a certain stuck up Cocoon brat, he was anything but.

Lightning sighed, fighting the urge to rub his eyes. This was why he hated politics in the first place. All the bickering. All the name calling. All the finger pointing. All the egos. Stupidity. That's what all this was. Stupidity and an ego contest. And Lightning wanted nothing to do with it. How the Primarch kept her sanity in all of that, he didn't know.

"Only savages would equate fighting as experience in the matters of peace."

Fang rose to her feet, bristling openly. She tried to be patient. She tried to be tolerant. Hell, she even tried to see things from the Cocoon Advisors' perspective (at Vanille's plea). But she wouldn't try that anymore. Not when it was quite clear a certain Cocoon Advisor would not grant her the same respect. Fang opened her mouth to speak, a biting retort ready to roll off of her tongue, only to be beaten to the punch by the most unlikely of people.

"Says the snivelling coward hiding behind her desk."

The entire room went silent for a few seconds, various looks of disbelief flashing across everyone's faces. All eyes turned to Lightning.

"I-I beg your pardon?" Advisor Nabaat said, getting her wits about her. "What did you just say?"

The Primarch was flabbergasted by her bodyguard's words. Never in all his service had Lightning been so... forthcoming, especially when in the presence of the Primarch's Advisory Council. Judging by the looks the others had, none of them expected that retort either.

Advisor Nabaat was floundering. Advisor Estheim was surprised. Advisor Katzroy was smirking. Oerba Dia Vanille was gaping. And Oerba Yun Fang, well hell, she was grinning like the Gorgonopsid who ate the Chocobo. She may not have liked Lightning at first, but she'd be lying if she said he wasn't starting to grow on her now.

Lightning continued on unfazed.

"If memory serves me correctly, I recall a certain Cocoon Advisor vehemently objecting to sending an envoy out to meet with the Kingdom of Gran Pulse on their territory for this peace agreement. Something about concern for the Primarch's safety, when all it really was, was that she herself didn't want to scuff her boots doing real work."

"One more word!" Advisor Nabaat shouted. She was on her feet, her face red with fury. In her hand was her baton, one which shook in her grasp as it pointed at the soldier. "One more word out of you and I'll have you court-martialed for treason!"

_BADAHM!_

Two small fists smashed against the table.

"You will do no such thing!" the Primarch exclaimed. The pinkette rose to her full height in less than a second, the most hateful of glares boring into the Cocoon Advisor to her left. Such a look was not unlike Lightning's own glare, one which was currently making Advisor Nabaat shrink down in her seat wanting to hide under it.

"You overstep your bounds Advisor Nabaat," the Primarch said, restrained anger in her voice. "The only person who has that authority is me. Remember your place!"

Serah Farron was never the type of person who liked to pull rank on people. She hated such elitism. But there were times, like now, when she didn't feel the least bit guilty about it. Sometimes, people needed to be put in their place. While known for her patience, tolerance and acceptance, the Primarch wasn't about to let a pampered politician pull that crock because her ego took a hit.

Pulsian representatives Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille couldn't but look at each other in surprise. It was always thought that Cocoonians had the perfect society. They had the technology. They had the resources. They had _the_ life. But apparently, that was all a lie.

"W-With all due respect, Primarch," Advisor Nabaat said hesitantly. "I-"

"Was he wrong?"

"P-Pardon?"

"Was Lightning wrong in his recollection?" the Primarch repeated, her gaze still fully focused on the nervous Cocoon Advisor.

Advisor Jihl Nabaat opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it a moment later. Her jaw clenched and she looked away. She had no rebuttal.

Then the double doors leading into the Council Room swung open.

"My dear, Jihl," a voice said. A young man, looking to be in his thirties strolled into the room. Short black hair shone in the soft light, long flowing white robes with blue highlights swaying gently around his form as he walked. Steel grey eyes locked onto Advisor Nabaat.

"Causing trouble again?"

"Shut it, Raines!" Advisor Nabaat hissed. "This is not of your concern!"

"Advisor Raines," the Primarch said in surprise. Tension dispersed immediately, leaving only concern. "We weren't expecting you today. Your father-"

"My father is dead," Advisor Raines stated.

Lightning narrowed his eyes. For a son who just lost his father, Advisor Raines didn't seem the least bit sorrowful or hurt about it.

The Primarch's lips pursed together, a frown crossing her features. "I'm sorry to hear-L-Lightning?"

"Why are you here?"

Lightning stood protectively beside the Primarch on the pinkette's left, his free arm held out in front of Cocoon's leader. His other hand held his gunblade in rifle form, pointed directly at Advisor Raines. Staying true to his namesake, the white robed soldier had closed the distance between himself and the Primarch in a matter of seconds.

"Fang?"

Like Lightning, Fang too stood protectively in front of Vanille, Kain's Lance gripped tightly in front of her, a snarl on her lips. Ever since the last of the Cocoon Advisors entered the Council Chambers, something felt... wrong. The hidden scar on her right arm throbbed, a torrent of emotions swirling inside of the Pulsian lancer, making her jittery.

Advisor Raines paused in his step, halfway between the doors and the meeting table. "Interesting," he said, his look truly inquisitive. "Not quite the reaction I expected upon showing up to the meeting late. I apologize for my tardiness."

"Why are you here?" Lightning repeated, his tone going infinity colder than before. The grip on his gunblade tightened further. The hidden mark on his chest ached, terribly.

Conflict.

That was what Lightning felt the moment Cocoon Advisor Cid Raines entered the room. Conflict and darkness.

"Why, I'm here for the meeting," Advisor Raines said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He took a step forward.

_Bang!_

A fresh bullet hole now smoked one inch from Advisor Raines' front most boot.

"Do not make me repeat myself again."

Advisor Raines stared at the bullet hole before closing his eyes momentarily.

Serah was horrified. It was one thing for Lightning to call Advisor Nabaat's bluff, but to shoot at Advisor Raines, that was just too much.

"Light-"

A loud, howling laughter.

A chill ran down Vanille's back, the redhead unconsciously edging closer to Fang. That was not a normal laugh. Not by a long shot.

"C-Cid?" Advisor Nabaat was starting to feel very uncomfortable in the other Cocoon Advisor's presence. Usually, they got along pretty well, as compared to the other advisors. Now however, something felt very wrong, even to the Advisor Nabaat.

"Guardians of the Goddess."

Jaws clenched, the grip on Blazefire Saber and Kain's Lance going knuckle white.

A gasp escaped Vanille's lips when Advisor Raines opened his eyes again to look at them. Steel grey eyes were now black.

"If I kill you here, the Goddess' plan will fail."

"The Goddess? What does she-"

Advisor Raines' body erupted into black flames, causing everyone to instinctively scramble away from him.

"You shall die by my hand!"

A shockwave of black energy exploded outwards to sound of breaking glass. Marble ceiling ruptured and fissured. Glass windows splintered and cracked. And limestone floors cratered. Reacting on instinct, Fang kicked out the legs of the meeting table closest to the door, toppling it onto its side to before yanking Vanille behind it. Lightning also did the same, the Primarch pulled behind it just as the shockwave smashed into the now overturned piece of furniture. The oak piece shuddered under the blow, audibly cracking, but remained in one piece. The Cocoon Advisors, who were not as fast as the quartet, went diving for cover behind their chairs, only to be thrown off their feet and sent hurtling into the air by the dark pulse.

"The Goddess cannot protect you!"

Serah shivered, clutching at Lightning's arm as they hide behind the biggest piece of furniture in the room, alongside the two Pulsian diplomats. Her mind was still reeling from it all, the Primarch having a difficult time believing what was actually happening. Advisor Raines, Cocoon Advisor Cid Raines had attacked them. One of her people, one of her most trusted of advisors, wanted them dead.

But why?

"Advisor Raines," Lightning said, loud enough for all in the room to hear. "This is treason by the highest account. Cease your hostilities now and you shall not be harmed."

Fang looked at Lightning incredulously. Did the man actually think the psycho advisor would stop just because he said so? One look from the soldier told Fang everything she needed to know. Lightning knew the Cocoon Advisor wouldn't stop. But formalities were formalities.

"Fang," Vanille murmured, trembling slightly.

The arm around the youngest Dia tightened slightly. "I won't let anythin' happen ta ya, Vanille." She rubbed her sister's shoulder reassuringly.

"The Goddess has corrupted you all," Advisor Raines' voice said, his voice now distorted and hollow. "I shall set you free!"

Lightning dared a glance over top of the overturned table. Blue eyes widened instantly, the soldier's foot connecting with Fang's shoulder a split second later, sending both Pulsians careening to the right a couple of feet away. Lightning used that same motion to kick back both himself and the Primarch to the left a fair distance at the same time.

Fang spat out a Pulsian curse as she tumbled to the floor, Vanille still in her arms. Both of them skidded to a halt on their sides several feet away from their previous position. A nasty glare was sent in the Cocoon bodyguard's direction, Fang ready to the chew the man out for that move, when the table they previously hid behind burst in half, a now grotesque looking Advisor Raines barrelling through it like a rocket. Advisor Raines slid to a halt fifteen feet away.

All of the colour drained out of Vanille's face the moment her gaze landed on the former Cocoon Advisor. Advisor Cid Raines was no longer human. The top half of his robes had been burned away and in place of skin and flesh was only twisted and jagged crystal. The man's entire chest, head and right arm was made of corrupted black crystal, Advisor Raines' left arm the only part of his upper body still showing his human origins. Black eyes narrowed, the man now turned monstrosity spinning around to face them.

"A Cie'th?! Here?"

"Wide open!"

There was a momentary crackle of power before Cie'th Raines was sent stumbling backwards from a powerful Thunder attack. Cie'th Raines hissed, his twisted head whipping towards his attacker.

"Tch." Lightning narrowed his eyes, noting no visible damaged to the deranged abomination. The soldier raised his gunblade in rifle form, the weapon spitting slugs instantly only to harmlessly disintegrate upon hitting crystal. Cie'th Raines roared.

Blazefire Saber switched back to sword form, the Primarch's personal bodyguard not fazed in the least.

"The storm is here!"

Lightning charged Cie'th Raines in a burst of speed.

* * *

"Sazh!"

Advisor Katzroy shook his head, trying his best to clear the haze. Two small hands tugged on his arm, soon after dragging him to his feet, the Cocoon Advisor quickly realizing those hands belonged to none other than the Primarch.

"Primarch?" Advisor Katzroy said in confusion.

"You have to get up, Sazh," Serah said. "You have to help-"

_CRASH!_

Both Serah and Sazh flinched, their gazes quickly turning back to see Lightning barely skirt out of Cie'th Raines' distorted arm swipe just over ten feet away. Jagged black fingers raked through the remains of the meeting table, tearing through it like scissors through paper. Lightning slashed at Cie'th Raines' open side, but his gunblade did little more than kick up sparks as it slid harmlessly against tainted skin. The soldier in white lurched backwards a moment later, diving to the left to avoid another of Cie'th Raines' lunges.

"You have to help the others," the Primarch said, directing the Cocoon Advisor's attention back towards Advisor Estheim and Advisor Nabaat. "Get them to safety and call the rest of the guards. I don't know how much longer Lightning can hold up against him."

Advisor Katzroy grabbed the Primarch's arm as the woman turned back to the fray. "What are you going to do?"

Serah looked back over her shoulder. "Advisor Raines is one of my Advisors," she said. "He is my responsibility."

"And just what do you plan to do without a weapon?"

"I'll... figure something out," the Primarch said hesitantly.

An explosion of black sent both of them flying off their feet again, into the nearest wall. Bodies landed with an audible thump, both of them hitting the ground hard. When his vision focused some seconds later, Advisor Katzroy's eyes widened in horror, catching sight of Lightning crashing through the floor to ceiling windows opposite him, disappearing over the edge.

Serah screamed.

"LIGHTNING!"

* * *

"Fang!"

"Get back Vanille!" Fang said, shoving the smaller redhead behind her. With Cie'th Raines currently occupied by Lightning, Fang took this opportunity to get her only sibling to safety.

"What are you doing!?"

"I'm gettin' ya out of here, that's what!" Fang replied. She again pushed Vanille back towards the wide open doors on the other side of the room, just as one of the remaining halves of the meeting table exploded in a hail of splinters.

"But the others!" Vanille struggled to hold her ground, the healer knowing full well Fang could just hoist her up on her shoulders like a sack of batatas and skedaddle if push came to shove.

"I can't help him if I'm worryin' about ya, Vanille!" Fang exclaimed in frustration. Emerald green eyes stared into jade coloured ones.

"Fang..."

Vanille stilled in her struggles, the brevity of her sister's words hitting her like a tsunami. The redhead had expected Fang run, dragging her with her, leaving the Cocoonians to deal with their own problems. But like before, Fang surprised her, the look in the other Pulsian's eyes letting Vanille know just how much it bothered the other Pulsian not to be on the far side of the room right now, fighting alongside Lightning.

"Hurry an' get the Kamau twins. An' that Snow fellow," Fang said, add the latter as an after thought. "We're gonna need everyone's help in defeatin' that thin'."

Currently the twins were awaiting Fang and Vanille's return in their rooms, while Captain Snow Villiers was outside patrolling the Imperial Palace walls with his men. It was a high possibility PSICOM would attempt to breach the palace's perimeter with these negotiations going on.

Vanille didn't know when, but in the short span of time that they'd been here in Cocoon, something had changed in her sister. And there was no doubt that it had something to do with a certain white garbed Primarch's bodyguard.

The Pulsian pair snapped out of their staring contest upon the immensely strong feeling of magic, one which made their skin tingle. Expressions of surprise immediately turned to terror when they realized the sensation wasn't due to anything on Lightning's part.

"Ya've got ta be kiddin' me...

On the opposite side of the room, Cie'th Raines charged a black sphere of magic above his open, twisted crystal palm. When he realized Lightning was just too fast for him to actually fight on par one on one, he changed tactics from single focused attacks to room sized ones. The ball of Ruinga continued to increase in size as the seconds ticked by, becoming bigger than his fist before it contracted a split second later to the size of marble. Lightning watched cautiously on guard ten feet away. For what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened. Then everything went to hell.

An explosion of black suddenly filled everyone's vision, the blast itself enveloping the far end of the Council Chambers faster than one could blink. The Primarch and Advisor Katzroy were flung into the nearest wall while Fang and Vanille were blown backwards off their feet to land in the hallway outside of the Coucil Chambers.

"LIGHTNING!" came the anguished cry from the Primarch seconds later.

That scream made Fang's heart stop, the Pulsian finding it hard to breathe the moment she looked back across the ruined room. Cie'th Raines stood at the centre of the destruction on the other end of the room, the Primarch and the Cocoon Advisors lying battered on the ground at the base of the far right wall.

Lightning was nowhere in sight.

And there was a gaping hole in the windows now. One which could have only been made by a body smashing through it.

"E-Etro..." Vanille stuttered, sitting back on her heels, her hands up to her mouth. "Lightning..." She was completely terrified and shaking.

"It... can't be..."

Fang was frozen in her spot, her eyes wide and staring at the last place she saw the soldier. Before either Pulsian knew what was happening, the Pulsian lancer rose to her feet, Kain's Lance in her white knuckle grip.

"Fang?"

Anger and hatred burned, fury darkening emerald coloured eyes. A ripple of power pulsed from within, fuelling her ire and making her muscles tense. A shimmer of red surrounded her form, a snarl escaping Fang's lips the moment Cie'th Raines turned his lecherous gaze towards the grief stricken Cocoon Primarch. He was going to pay.

"Yer gonna squirm!"

"Fang!"

Fang took off like a bullet towards Cie'th Raines, Vanille unable to do anything more aside for reach out for her sister and grab at empty air.

* * *

"On yer knees!"

Lightning breathed heavily, doing his best to push down the nearly overwhelming wave of panic engulfing him. He currently dangled less than a hundred feet up in the air, suspended by his cape. As luck would have it, the tail end of his crimson accessory got caught on one of the bottom jagged edges of the broken window he smashed through, inevitably halting his quick descent downwards and saving his life. But that reprieve wouldn't last long. The edge of his cape was slowly tearing under his weight, and it wouldn't be much longer before it would rip through completely, leaving him in free fall.

Never in Lightning's life had he experienced such power. When Cie'th Raines first began charging that magical attack, Lightning expected it to be like a fireball of some sort, except on the dark magic side of things. Now he knew better. When it came to magic, nothing could be assumed. Magic was like lightning, chaotic, unpredictable and unforgiving. He, out of everyone, should have known that by now. Thankfully, this wouldn't be the last mistake he made.

Bits of glass and other debris rained down on the soldier, Lightning using his free hand to protect his eyes (his other hand still gripped his Blazefire Saber) as the fight above continued. From the sounds of it, one of the Pulsians had finally decided to join in the fight and was causing the former Cocoon Advisor some trouble.

Good.

Lightning owed the man some payback.

Taking a deep breath, panic was squashed and blue eyes steeled. With the snap of his fingers, Lightning's anti-gravy unit activated, enveloping his form in a purple glow.

* * *

Oerba Yun Fang breathed heavily, clutching at her sliced open right bicep. Sweat rolled down her cheek, furious emerald eyes glaring at the shadow currently looming over her.

After Lightning was blown out the window, all common sense left the warrior. Fang rushed in consumed by rage, looking to make the twisted former Cocoon Advisor pay for his treachery. It wasn't hard for Fang to provoke the freak of a man, to turn his focus away from the semi conscious Cocoon Primarch. She was naturally provocative, especially now that magic flowed through her veins influence by her emotions.

Be that as it may, it seemed Cie'th Raines learned his lesson the first time, and did everything in his power to keep the lancer as far away from him as possible. Ruin after Ruin Fang dodged. And when she couldn't dodge, she called forth her defensive stance Steelguard. But even that was not enough to dull the force of the twisted man's attacks completely. The huntress' frustration became quickly evident, as no matter what she did, she couldn't land a single blow on the Cei'th. He had the advantage of range.

Then Cie'th Raines took an arrow to the back, the attack making him pause to look at the Primarch again. Somehow the pinkette managed to acquire her weapon in this mess, Fang noting Advisor Katzroy helping the other Cocoon Advisors get to their feet a ways behind the Primarch.

Wasting no time, the lancer took advantage of this distraction and closed the distance between herself and Cie'th Raines in three quick strides. Kain's Lance lashed out at Cie'th Raines unmercifully. The twisted Advisor heard her approach but was not fully prepared for the Fang's burst of speed, taking a direct hit to the face. Crystal flesh splintered and cracked, the abomination of a man shrieking as he flailed wildly.

"Look out!"

Crystal claws tore through Fang's right arm, the sari clad warrior having been in the middle of shoving the Cocoon Primarch clear of what would have been a nasty torso splitting slash. Pain spider webbed outwards through the rest of her body in such ferocity, that she almost passed out before her knees hit the floor, Fang screaming. Never had the Pulsian lancer experienced the pain wracking her body now, something akin to having acid for blood or electricity for veins.

The huntress was vaguely aware of the pulling sensation on her sari, the Primarch repaying her favor by yanking her clear of Cie'th Raines' blind slashing. By the time the pain receded to nothing more than a throbbing ache, her hidden mark pulsing, Fang found herself lying on her side with her back facing the shattered windows at the end of the room, Cie'th Raines between her and the only way out of the Council Chambers.

"Fang!"

Despite what Fang told her to do, Vanille opted to help Advisor Katzroy in assisting the others to their feet. Just as they were all about to make a beeline out of there to get help, a blood curdling scream rose above the noise of the fight, freezing them all in their spots. Vanille turned back to look just in time to see her sister collapse.

"No!"

A low, menacing growl escaped the monstrosity's lips, the look in Cie'th Raines' eyes showing no signs that he was once human. Whatever darkness had tainted him in the first place had finally consumed him completely now. Vanille and the rest of the Cocoon Advisors could only watch on in horror as the abomination finally got his wits about him and howled. Black eyes glared at Fang and the Primarch.

Cie'th were supposed to be that of myth and legend, a type of boogieman the elders told stories about to scare children into behaving. Originally, they started off human, people who had somehow angered the gods and hence were damned by them. According to the stories, Cie'th were forever cursed to wander the lands as mindless beasts, their unending hunger only satiated by eating human flesh. To see one here, this close, left Vanille shaking to her core, unable to concentrate long enough to provide magical support.

"Bloody hell," Fang muttered weakly through gritted teeth.

Pain pulsed from Fang's injured arm, the lancer barely feeling the rest of her limb despite knowing it was still connected to her body. Blinking a few more times, the sari clad warrior realized the Primarch stood just in front of her, the girl's bow string pulled taut, another energy bolt charging. Sweat drizzled down the pinkette's brow, the Cocoon leader doing all that should could to stop her hands from shaking. Hazy emerald eyes looked back at Cie'th Raines. This was the beast which killed the Primarch's body guard. If it killed Lightning, how could the Cocoon Leader even possibly think she could kill it? She wouldn't.

But Fang would. For the sake of her honour, and Lightning's, she would.

Another bone chilling roar.

A grunt escaped Fang's throat, the Pulsian rising to her feet through much effort. She ignored the feeling of liquid warmth running down her right arm, snatching up Kain's Lance with her left hand by its tip, her prized weapon just barely in reach. Wobbly, she moved to stand in front of the Primarch, something which surprised her counterpart.

"Y-Yun Fang?"

Fang grinned, despite the pain she was in. "I am Oerba Yun Fang," she said, her voice shaky. "The strongest hunter in all of the Kingdom of Gran Pulse." Her posture straightened, her jaw clenching as the familiar smoulder of hate and anger flamed inside.

"If ya think ya can defeat me..." Kain's Lance twirled in the air in front of the huntress before Fang lowered her stance, pointing her spear at the former advisor, snarling. "C'mon then!"

Cie'th Raines charged towards the pair for his final attack.

But it would never connect.

There was a rush of air from behind, before something white leaped over Serah's and Fang's heads to land directly in front of them. Just as time seemed to slow down, Fang quickly realized what that white thing was.

It was Lightning.

And never did the man look so beautiful than performing his deadly dance of blades right now.

Blazefire Saber slashed upwards in a blur of motion, slicing through Cie'th Raines' left eye, a weak spot now thanks to Fang's only connected attack. A split second after the first blow, the soldier's blade looped around in the opposite direction, striking Cie'th Raines' other eye, blinding the abomination permanently. The monstrosity of a man was in mid shriek when Lightning's left boot stamped down on his knee, snapping bone and tendons, staggering Cie'th Raines' stance. Twisting to the right like a top, Lightning continued his vicious assault, his blade hacking right, then left, the combo ending with a point blank gunshot shot to the forehead, one which would have blown off a regular person's head completely.

And that was only the beginning.

Lightning somersaulted forward in the air, the heel of his right boot slamming down on Cie'th Raines' forehead like a sledgehammer, a jarring kick to the face from the same boot and a sinew cleaving lateral slash to the shoulder following up soon afterwards. Using the last of his inertia, Lightning slashed at the former Cocoon Advisor another two times across the throat before he stomped backwards off Cie'th Raines' chest, flipping backwards through the air to land next to the Primarch and Pulsian lancer.

All of that happened in less than ten seconds.

And all anyone could do was watch.

Lightning was a damn Army of One, if Fang had to say so herself.

Cie'th Raines collapsed to his hands and knees, chunks of corrupted crystal crumbling from his nearly broken body. Fang's initial attack was the beginning of his downfall, Lightning continuing what Fang started, bringing things to where they were now. But the abomination was stubborn and refused to go down without a fight. Without warning, Cie'th Raines lurched at Lightning, shrieking.

Blue eyes narrowed in disgust. With one quick step to the side, Cie'th Raines sailed through the air wide of his target, Lightning having anticipated such a desperate move from the man turned monster. Cie'th Raines continued his short flight unhindered, soon after diving head first out of the broken window Lightning emerged from and straight to his doom a hundred feet down. By the time Cocoon recovery crews found his body hours later, Cie'th Raines would be nothing more than broken black crystal and red gore.

"Lightning!"

The Primarch tackled her bodyguard, Serah trembling as she squeeze the soldier with all she had. She buried her face in white garb, the material muffling her sobs and drying her tears. Strong arms enveloped her shoulders, a gentle hand running up and down her back.

"I'm glad you're safe, Primarch."

"Fang!"

Vanille raced over to her sister in a blur of orange, a Curaga already glowing in her hand by the time she was within arm's reach. Fang hissed the moment torn flesh began knitting itself together, but that was a small price to pay to ensure her sister remained unharmed. She patted Vanille on the arm.

"Easy there, kiddo," Fang said with a pained chuckle. "I'm still in one piece."

Even with Vanille's magic, this wound would leave a scar. But Fang was alright with that. Scars showed survival prowess. It showed a hunter's determination to defeat a challenge in spite of injury. And there was no other hunter in all of Gran Pulse who could beat Fang in that. Cocoon? Maybe.

"Oerba Yun Fang."

Emerald eyes locked onto sapphire ones, causing both Serah and Vanille to look wearily between the soldier and warrior. Lightning straightened in his posture, Fang mirroring the man to do the same in spite of still being healed. The Primarch's bodyguard looked at Fang critically, causing her to narrow her eyes slightly. What? Was he going to pick a fight with her now of all times? Fine. Bring it on!

"Thank you."

Fang blinked. So did Vanille and Serah.

"Thank you for protecting the Primarch when I could not," Lightning said, humbly.

Fang looked at Lightning in surprise before her features softened into a grin. "No need ta thank me, Sunshine," she said with her typical smirk.

Blue eyes narrowed slightly, but Lightning did nothing else beyond that.

"Ya saved this lil' one over here before," Fang said, nodding at Vanille. "So consider us even."

As a customary measure of thanks, Fang held out her hand for the man to shake, rather than up for a typical Gran Pulse forearm bump. Lightning stared at the offered limb silently, an action which made both the Primarch and Vanille swallow nervously. Then the soldier surprised them all and clasped Fang's arm at the wrist, squeezing firmly.

"Right," was all Lightning said.

Fang couldn't but smile.

* * *

___**A/N:**____ My apologies all, something about this chapter still is a bit off to me, but I didn't want to keep you all waiting for another month to figure it out. Sorry for the choppiness._

___I had no clue what Cid Raines' eye colour was, even after researching it and looking up videos (it's hard to tell in the videos, and every site I went to, had different answers as to what colour his eyes were). So I made them steel grey. :P_

___Batatas are another name for sweet potatoes, one originally used before they were dubbed 'sweet potatoes'. For those of you who've read my "Etro's Keepers" story, you'll recognize the reference from there._

___It's a fact that Lightning's Army of One attack in FFXIII takes a total of nine seconds to complete from ____beginning to end._

___For those of you who've read my "Tainted Fal'Cie" story, you'll recognize the description of 'twisted, black Cie'th' from there. Beyond that, Cie'th Raines description is the same as that of in game one, except black instead of white._


	7. Dance Partners

**The ****Kingdom ****of ****Etro**

**_A/N_**___:____ Thank you all for your patience and condolences during that difficult time of mine. Everything should be back to its regular schedule now. Thank you all for your understanding._

___On another note, check out my latest video for Lightning Returns (take out the extra spaces and brackets): (w) (w) (w) . (youtube) . (c) (o) (m) / watch?v=1eceNVjvwPY _

_For __those __of __you __who __left __unsigned __reviews, __see __my __replies __below:_

_ tlrc __- __Thanks __for__ the __review __and __clarification. __:) __I'm __glad __I __made __a __lucky __guess __with __regards __to __Cid's __eye __colour. __Lol. __Sorry __for __the __delay __in __getting __this __chapter __up. __Family __stuff __came __up __and __kind __of __pushed __back __a __few __things, __including __this.__ But __the __chapter __is __here __now. __:)_

_ MasterPro __- __Thanks __for __the __review __and __the __condolences. __It __won't __bring __him __back, __but __it __helps. __I __had __a __lot __of __fun __writing __Light __blasting __Nabaat. __I __just __wished __it __could __have __happened __in __the __game. __That__ would __have __been __epic. __That __or __maybe __Fang __doing __it__ for __kidnapping __Vanille. __Hehe. __As __for __the __cape__ thing, __it __has __its __uses. __XD __I __apologize __for __the __delay __in __posting __up __this __chapter. __Family __stuff __happened __and __well,__ things __got __delayed. (this was written before you got your official account :P)  
_

**_Disclaimer_**___: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in__ do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for__ entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 7: Dance Partners ~ ***

"So... this entire place is made up of that stuff?"

A week had passed since the near fatal attack on the Cocoon Primarch and the Gran Pulsian Representatives. Since then, peace negotiations were temporarily on hold, to allow for everyone's recovery. This also allowed time for investigation into Advisor Raines' seemingly bizarre behaviour. Cocoon's best engineers and scientists were still trying to piece things together, Advisor Estheim assisting in those efforts, but much was still unknown.

"No," came a short, clipped reply.

Confirmed was the passing of Advisor Raines' father, Dysley Barthandelus, just an hour before the attack. Dysley was the oldest and longest serving advisor to the Primarch in all of Cocoon's history, having served the royal family for over fifty years before his retirement only three years ago. At that time, he stepped down and appointed Cid Raines as his successor, Dysley's health starting to degrade with age. Even with the technological marvels Cocoon accomplished, mortality was still one thing they had yet to conquer.

"So... what's the rest of the palace made of then?"

Upon initial search of the Raines' Estate and properties, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The grounds were as pristine as they usually were, no signs of disturbance. When questioned, none of the Raines' family attendants noted any suspicious behaviour from the Advisors, both current and retired. Retired Advisor Dysley died peacefully in his sleep, Advisor Raines leaving the premises soon after to attend the peace talks currently in progress. This truly troubled the Primarch, for no one could explain what happened to Advisor Raines in that hour to cause such a transformation.

So the guards were doubled yet again, the entourage keeping watch over the Pulsian envoy now nearing thirty of the Primarch's best men and women. Oerba Yun Fang vocally made her displeasure known about this change, but after talking with her fellow Pulsian and sister Oerba Dia Vanille, the lancer begrudgingly accepted this was the best course of action considering the circumstances. It helped that they were not the only ones to suffer this treatment.

The Primarch herself was now escorted by the Captain of the Imperial Army himself, and his two lieutenants, aside from Lightning's regular presence, everywhere she went. Each of the Cocoon Advisors had similar escorts, but with the peace talks delayed, they all remained in their homes under surveillance until the talks started up again. The Primarch hated using such extreme measures, but given the nature and seriousness of this breach in security, now was not the time to be stingy when it came to everyone's safety.

"This is all relevant, how?"

While he understood the Primarch's caution and completely agreed with it, Lightning couldn't for the love of the Maker understand how an increase in security warranted him giving the number one most annoying Pulsian a tour of the palace. That just made no sense.

"Come on, Lightbug!" Fang chided.

"I told you not to call me that!" came the soldier's aggravated hiss.

The huntress continued unfazed. "Yer supposed ta know that stuff. What kind of tour guide are ya?"

Lightning was a good soldier. He was the best. He knew when to follow orders and when to question ones which lacked merit or rational. That being said, he was currently regretting his perfect status, especially as he was the one who crumpled under the Primarch's puppy dog eyes and let her get away with whatever she wanted. Most of the time. Because he was a good soldier.

Clenching a fist, Lightning paused to take a deep breath. Unknown to his present company, Fang's close proximity was making it difficult for the Primarch's bodyguard to focus on anything but her right now. Whenever he was this close to her, a comforting familiarity always settled within him. So much so, at times he forget they were enemies at all and not friends. As annoying as she could get, like now with her twenty million questions he neither cared to answer or find out the answer itself, something about the Pulsian seemed to soothe the lingering ache in his soul. Lightning hadn't even realized there was something missing in the first place until she came into his life.

"I have no idea what the rest of the palace is made of, nor do I care," Lightning replied gruffly, trying to maintain the distance he always had with people who were not Serah Farron. "And if you really must know, then I suggest you ask one of the Cocoon Architects who designed this place because I certainly won't as hell find out that information for you!"

Fang blinked at Lightning in surprise, soon after chuckling at the soldier's little rant. He was so easy to tease, and his reactions were just plain hilarious.

Like Lightning, Fang too felt an old camaraderie with the uptight Cocoonian. But it went beyond friendship and enjoyable company. Fang hadn't even known the man up until two weeks ago, her first impression of him only being that he had impressed fighting skills. His personality certainly needed some fine tuning, Lightning as frigid as a Gremlin's Blizzaga and as rough around the edges as an Enki's bark. But as Fang spent more time with him, those little quirks seemed to fade away and Lightning's true self started to emerge.

Without thinking, and acting more on instinct, Fang wrapped an arm around the soldier's shoulders and gave him a quick squeeze. "Awww Light," she cooed, jovially. "Ya really know how ta make a girl feel special."

Only when Lightning looked at Fang did the Pulsian realized her mistake.

"Ah... Sorry," Fang mumbled, quickly withdrawing her arm and taking two steps away from the Cocoonian.

It was the strangest thing, this closeness with the soldier. While he didn't smash her face in like Fang expected him to, he didn't flinch or pull away from her either. He just... looked at her, his blue eyes filled with a mix of emotions. In that moment, Fang just wanted to pull off his mask and kiss him. But that would be going too far. He was supposed to be her enemy after all.

Fang and Lightning looked in opposite directions of the other, their walk through the corridors of the Imperial Palace slowing down significantly. Fang scratched the back of her head in nervousness, silently berating herself for her lapse in judgement. Lightning on the other hand, he was holding his shoulder, frowning, the soldier already missing the warmth provided by the lancer's arm. He knew he shouldn't be dwelling on such things, but he couldn't help it.

Trailing behind the pair was Kamau Lebreau, along with the rest of the Cocoonian guards assigned to watch over them. All of them had seen the exchange between Lightning and Fang, the Cocoon soldiers looking at each other with quirked eyebrows and curious expressions. Lebreau however, merely smiled.

For a long time, all the Kamau clan knew of was war. Ever since she was little, Lebreau watched as clansman after clansman died to defend their kingdom against a more technologically advanced enemy. No relief came, only sorrow and loss. So when the call for a peace treaty came, Lebreau was quick to join the envoy in the hopes that this time, peace could finally be achieved. While originally sceptical and suspicious of Cocoon and its people, Lebreau quickly came to realize that Cocoonians were not so different than they were.

Sure they had technology. Sure they had forgotten the old gods. But they were still people, people who wanted to live and survive. Not unlike the Pulsians themselves. To see Fang of all people, one of the most stubborn warriors in all of Gran Pulse, getting along with one of the toughest Cocoonians they'd met to date, the feeling of hope thrived inside of the Kamau twin. Fang was known for her good judge of character, so to see her as friendly as she was with Lightning, maybe this time peace would truly happen at last.

* * *

"It's beautiful!" Vanille exclaimed, rushing up to the nearest flower.

On the other side of the Imperial Palace to Fang and Lightning, was the Primarch and Vanille, wandering through the Imperial Gardens. The gardens itself was maintained inside of a large green house, floor to ceiling windows making up the walls with equally as large windows lining the roof. Guarding the pair closely was Kamau Gadot, as well as Captain Snow Villiers and his two lieutenants, Maqui and Yuj. A small unit of Cocoon guards was also nearby.

"I've never seen a Tiger Lily grow this big before!" Vanille continued, the Pulsian bubbling with the awe of a small child. "They grow in Gran Pulse too, but much, much smaller." The redhead cupped the flower bloom, closing her eyes as she leaned in to smell it.

The Primarch smiled.

"I'm told the mountain air here in Cocoon is the reason for that," Serah said, her fingers brushing lightly against a Tiger Lily of her own. "The spores of the land which would normally stunt its growth don't quite make it up this far on the mountain."

After days of being cooped up in their rooms because of the attack, the Primarch granted their guests a reprieve and allowed them to roam the Imperial Palace under guard. Gran Pulse was a beautiful kingdom known for its vast open lands and amazing scenery. Serah could only image how the Pulsian envoy felt, locked up in their rooms with nowhere to go. So she decided to entertain them until peace talks resumed.

Knowing of Lightning's aversion to really girly things, and Fang's seemingly similar tastes, it was only natural for Serah to split up the group so as not to bore one or the other. Lightning, of course, was very adverse to that idea and let the Primarch know exactly how he felt on the matter.

* * *

_~ Three __hours__ before ~ _

"With all due respect, Primarch," Lightning began. "That is not wise."

Serah looked at her bodyguard curiously. "I don't think it's wise to keep our guests sequestered in one spot all the time either, Lightning, making them easier to pick them off in a single attack."

Captain Snow Villiers looked nervously between the Primarch and her personal bodyguard. Like Lightning, he too had been called into the Primarch's chambers to discuss... well, he wasn't quite sure what they were discussing right now. He came to the meeting late due to the ongoing investigation into Advisor Raines' attempted coup a week ago and walked straight into the middle of things. Something about their Pulsian guests and an outing of sorts.

"I agree they should not be easy targets," Lightning continued. "But to divide us up is not a sound strategic plan."

The Primarch gave her bodyguard a look. "Are you saying that you're incapable of protecting Oerba Yun Fang by yourself should another attack arise?"

"That's not what I-"

"Or is it perhaps you're afraid to be near her... alone?"

Oh the glare Lightning was giving her was absolutely murderous. Serah wanted to laugh. But as much as she giggled about the whole thing, there was another reason the Primarch wanted to split them up. Serah wanted to see if her suspicions about Lightning and Fang were correct. And the only way to test that out was to forcibly (in this case) stick them together.

"I am not afraid of anyone," Lightning growled, his fists clenched.

To anyone but Serah, Lightning looked akin to a rabid animal waiting to lash out. That was all a farce of course, his heart already pounding in his chest faster than a drum at the mere thought of being with Oerba Yun Fang... alone. Excitement, fear, anticipation and anxiety were the brunt of the emotions running through him now. Thank the Maker he had his mask on. There was no doubt in Lightning's mind he wouldn't be able to stop the reddening of his cheeks right now.

"I'm glad to hear that," Serah said with a small smile.

Little sisters were just plain evil. Serah the most.

"With that clarified," the Primarch continued on, business like usual. "You will be taking Oerba Yun Fang on a tour through the West Wing, a small escort of guards accompanying you. I'm sure they'll want to have one of their warriors with you as well, so be nice when you go meet them later today."

Lightning scowled like a petulant child, but said nothing.

"I'll be taking Oerba Dia Vanille to the gardens in the South Wing-"

"Excuse me?" Lightning interrupted. "Primarch, if I'm to guard Oerba Yun Fang, who will be guarding you?"

The Primarch looked towards Captain Villiers, the Captain of the Imperial Army standing off to the side trying his best not to be a nuisance in the current conversation. The last thing he wanted to do was to come between the Primarch and her personal bodyguard. Nothing good ever came of that.

Serah smiled at the man warmly. "Why, I have the dashing young Captain to protect me. Isn't that right, Captain?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" came a flustered reply.

Snow blushed at the compliment, the Primarch's smile making him feel like jelly inside. The nice pink colour on the Primarch cheeks was very attractive, making the blonde swallow as his mouth went dry. At the feeling of the room suddenly dropping in temperature, Snow's gaze moved to Lightning, his stomach immediately clenching. If looks could kill, he would have been dead so many times over by now.

"And there you have it," the Primarch said, oblivious to the look Lightning was giving Captain Villiers. "Now, about that Imperial Gardens, Captain..."

Captain Snow Villiers could only pray Lightning wouldn't kill him later.

* * *

~_ Back to p__resent_~

"It's very hard to find these on Gran Pulse," Vanille continued in quiet reverie, looking at another flower, breaking Serah out of her thoughts. "They usually only grow on the side of the mountain, on very steep ledges at that."

Looking at all of the flowers in the Imperial Gardens, a thought struck the Primarch.

A sneaky grin.

"Then you can take these with you when you head back."

Vanille's head snapped towards the pinkette in surprise. "P-pardon?"

"They're yours," the Primarch said. She motioned towards all of the plants in the vicinity with the wave of her hand. "Consider it a gesture of our mutual cooperation."

The youngest Dia was flabbergasted. "But..." She looked between the flowers and the Primarch again. "But-"

"We can always get more." A warm smile.

Vanille's face brightened up like a kid in the candy store for the first time. And before Serah knew it, the smaller Pulsian was tackling her in a hug.

"Thank you so much!" Vanille squealed, causing the Primarch to laugh.

Serah patted the other girl on the back. "You're welcome."

After a minute, when Vanille didn't let her go, the Primarch frowned. "Dia Vanille?" Her words resulted in the redhead holding onto her tighter.

Captain Villiers, standing off to the side with his unit of guards next to Kamau Gadot, rested his hand on the rifle strapped to this side. At the same time, Gadot reached for the greatsword on his back, gripping its pommel with one hand. Both men stared each other down, challenging the other to make the first move. Unlike his twin sister, Gadot was not so trusting of the Cocoonians. Sure the ones he'd met seemed like honourable folk, but one could never tell by appearances alone. They were called _Vipers_ by the elders for a reason after all. And being rather fond of the smallest Dia, Gadot wasn't about to let anything happen to her. Not on his watch.

"This is not the end," Vanille said softly, burying her face into the Primarch's shoulder further.

"The end of what?"

Normally, Vanille would have never done this with a stranger, far-a-less the Cocoonian Primarch. She knew of the atrocities Cocoon had inflicted on her people. She'd seen the suffering this war caused. But she also knew Serah Farron didn't have a mean bone in her body, which is probably why she allowed herself to succumb to this moment of weakness. Someone else had to know. She couldn't bear this burden alone anymore.

"The attack last week," Vanille continued, her voice trembling.

The Primarch tensed, the experience still a raw wound in her memory.

"That was only the beginning. Things are going to get much worse from here. The Cie'th..."

Vanille closed her eyes, replaying last week's attack in her mind. Unknown to the Primarch and to the Cocoon Kingdom, Vanille was not only a skilled healer and magic wielder, but her family also had ties to the now lost clan of Nsu, the clan of the Seeresses. Ever since she was little, Vanille could see things, sense things most people wouldn't have been able to. And it was such a skill which led her to the healing arts in the first place, to ease the suffering she saw Chaos cause.

Chaos.

That was their enemy. The moment Advisor Raines morphed into that beastly creature just over a week ago, Vanille knew there was more to this whole thing than met the eye. But without knowing more, she was blind. Just as blind as Lightning was. Something had happened to the man long ago, this much Vanille could tell when healing him upon their first meeting. There was a darkness clouding his heart, thick and heavy like an unending fog.

At first, Vanille thought it was a fluke or a coincidence. Chaos naturally existed in the world, and there were times it was stronger in some people than others. But then other things started happening. Seeing Sazh again. Sazh's unspoken warning. Advisor Raines becoming a Cie'th. Lightning's darkened heart.

This was only the beginning. And it terrified Vanille to think of what was to come.

"Vanille?"

The redhead pulled back from the Primarch to look at her, having calmed down enough to do so.

"What's a Cie'th?" the pinkette asked.

Before she could sort out a reply, Snow and Gadot were running towards them, yelling. Only then did Vanille sense they were not alone. The two women had only a split second to realize what was happening, before they were tackled to the ground and an explosion shattered glass.

* * *

It happened again. What was it, the ninth time now? Fang had lost count.

She was being led around again, by Lightning, under the premise of taking a grand tour of the Imperial Palace at the Primarch's beckoning. After that awkward moment between them, they fell into a quiet, yet comfortable walk again, their entourage just a few steps behind. Too caught up with the comforting vibes she was getting from the man walking just inches away from her, Fang had missed the first couple of interactions. But then it kept happening again and again, like it was now, and Fang couldn't but notice that.

One of the many attendants of the Imperial Palace was walking in the opposite direction to them. Upon sight of Lightning, they immediately stood off to the side and bowed their head respectfully as the group of them passed by. Eyes were drawn to the floor, never rising until the attendant felt it safe to continue on their way. Glancing in Lightning's direction, Fang caught sight of annoyance in the soldier's cerulean orbs.

At first, Fang was frankly disgusted with the white robed soldier. How dare he look down on those of lower status than him? But when it continued to happen, Fang realized something. The staff of the Imperial Palace didn't bow their heads at Lightning in fear. It was in respect. And Lightning, he was not annoyed with the attendant's presence, but the mere fact they felt the need to lower themselves when he was nearby. That was why the Primarch's bodyguard favored the Hope messenger boy so much. Hope, as much as clearly idolized the soldier, he didn't treat Lightning any differently, like everyone else did. And that alone spoke volumes to Fang about the soldier's character.

"Yer quite popular wit' everyone around here, aren't ya?"

Lightning rolled his eyes but said nothing.

"It gets tiresome, I know," the Pulsian lancer said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Lightning gave Fang a curious look.

"Dunno why people feel the need ta put me up on a pedestal all the time. I'm jus' me after all. No different than them."

The Primarch's bodyguard stared ahead in quiet contemplation. "Sometimes..." the soldier said softly. "Sometimes people need someone else to look up to, something to aspire to. And in doing so, that's the only way for them to do that."

Fang looked at Lightning in surprise. The man was being surprisingly... reflective today. "Yeah? Well, I'd rather them get ta know me as a friend than some figurehead." She sighed in frustration.

"The truest way to get to know someone is in the heat of battle."

Fang stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Lightning. Did he just say what she thought he said?

"Like how a blacksmith's workmanship shows through the quality of his weapons, a person's spirit is only visible when all they have is themselves and their weapon," Lightning continued. "But even then, a weapon is only as good as the one wielding it."

Realizing that the one he was guarding had stopped, Lightning turned to face Fang. "What?"

Emerald eyes bore into sapphire ones.

"Light, let's fight."

Murmurs went between the escorting soldiers at that comment, some of the men already placing bets as to who would win the fight. Kamau Lebreau watched the pair ahead in surprise, having not quite expected this turn of events.

Lightning watched his companion. "You're serious?"

Fang grinned. "Absolutely."

The lancer had been itching to spar with Lightning since the first moment she saw him fight. Fang was going stir crazy since coming to Cocoon, being locked up in rooms which were nothing more than fancy looking cages. It was so stuffy in this place, so closed off. How the Cocoonian's endured this self inflicted imprisonment, Fang didn't know. What she did know was that she needed to let off a little steam. What better way to do that than by fighting the enigma known as Lightning, _getting to know him_, as he had put it.

After quiet calculation, Lightning nodded in consent. "Alright," the soldier said, surprising the rest of their company.

With that said, Lightning led them all in the opposite direction.

* * *

Lebreau's eyes bounced back and forth between combatants like a hyperactive ping pong ball. Here they were, somewhere on one of the many the lower levels of the Imperial Palace, in a corner of the Imperial Barracks. At Lightning's order, the barracks were cleared for the next few hours, leaving only Lightning, Fang, Lebreau, and the minor contingent of Cocoon guards who were their escorts. Towards the middle of the barracks was a mat, an impromptu, crude fighting ring of sorts, where Lightning and Fang currently faced off against each other.

_WHACK!_

Well... _faced __off_ may not have been the appropriate term.

A diagonal slash.

A skirting dodge.

A booming jab.

An aerial somersault.

_CLANK!_

Lightning's high tech blade screeched against the shaft of Fang's spear in a move that even Lebreau couldn't see, the Cocoonian's incredible speed turning him into barely a white blur. Fang didn't seem particularly put off by that, it was quite the opposite in fact, the Pulsian lancer grinning like a drunken idiot after too much partying on Winter Solstice night. Finally, she had met her match.

"Not bad, Lightbug," Fang said, her voice a bit strained as she fought to maintain dominance in their shoving match. She had the power, but what Lightning lacked in that department, he certainly made up for in speed. While they didn't appear to be on the same level at first, it was quite evident now they were on par with each other, forcing the current standstill. Maker! The acrobatics Lightning pulled off during their spar were just incredible!

"What's wrong, Oerba Yun Fang?" Lightning mocked, his words almost a chuckle. "Getting tired so soon? And here I thought Pulsians were legendary for their stamina."

The pair broke apart with the screeching of metal, both of them panting slightly as they stood fifteen feet apart on the mat.

A laugh.

"Me? Tired? Not a chance!" Fang said, giving Kain's Lance a twirl. "I thought I'd go easy on ya, ya know? Yuh highlanders not havin' quite the same amount of stamina as we _Gran_ Pulsians do."

Oh, it was on now. Lebreau could see it as clear as crystal, Lightning quickly rising to the challenge. Not only was his pride at stake, but the pride of his people too.

"Is that so?" Lightning said, lowering his stance. In a surprising move, Lightning gripped his unique blade with two hands, having previously wielded it one-handed. "And here I thought I'd go easy on you, you know, _Gran_ Pulsians not used to the cooler air up here, making them sluggish. My mistake. I shall fix that now."

"Holy sh-" Fang didn't even have time to finish her outburst, the Pulsian jerking her body left and right to avoid a combination of slashes which would have skewered any lesser warrior. Somehow, Lightning's speed increased threefold, a feat the last surviving Yun didn't think possible, quickly forcing her on the defensive. Just as Fang recovered from a roll to the left, avoiding another deep slicing strike, Lightning's gunblade was slashing at her again, the lancer unable to dodge it.

A shimmer of silver.

Lightning grunted when his gunblade bounced off of his opponent's now magically infused body, Fang's skin and clothing mimicking the rigidness of metal. The soldier quickly put distance between them, glaring at the Pulsian as she shone a silvery white.

"What happened to the _no __special __powers_ rule?" Lightning growled, miffed.

Fang blinked then chuckled in embarrassment as her Steelguard fell. She scratched the back of her head, a nervous habit of hers. "Ah yeah, sorry about that. It kinda... slipped out."

Lightning gave Fang a look. "Right."

Before Fang knew what was happening, she was blasted backwards off of her feet, landing unceremoniously on her bum a few feet away from her original position. Aside from her ego, which was now bruised, she was in perfect health.

"What the hell was that!?" the huntress exclaimed, rising to her feet in a rage.

"Oops," Lightning said, looking down at the offending hand which cast the Thunder spell in the first place. "It kind of... slipped."

Blue eyes rose to meet emerald ones.

Lightning stared at Fang.

Fang stared back.

Lebreau took an unconscious step backwards at the growing tension in the air. Aside from her near legendary fighting skills, Oerba Yun Fang was also known for something else. Her temper. Anger her enough, and you'd swear you were facing down something worse than a fal'Cie. Just when Lebreau thought Fang would snap, the lancer surprised her by laughing out loud, long and hard, making the younger Kamau twin breathe in relief.

"Ya know," Fang said after catching her breath. Amusement was in her eyes as she looked at the Primarch's bodyguard. "I think I'm really startin' ta like ya, Sunshine."

Lightning huffed, but Fang could tell he was smirking under that mask of his.

"You fight rather well for a lowlander."

Coming from Lightning, that was high praise. Fang laughed again. "I'll take that as a compliment, Sparky."

"If that's what you need to tell yourself, Snaggletooth."

Fang's jaw dropped momentarily, the Pulsian surprised yet again by the man named Lightning. "Oh ho, ho, ho!" She said, twirling her spear excitedly. "Gettin' all fresh wit' me now, huh?"

"You asked for it." Another smirk.

Fang's smile was brilliant. "An' I was just gettin' started," she said. She raised her spear and pointed it at Lightning. "This will be fun."

Before the dance of blades could continue, an explosion rocked the Imperial Palace, making everyone stumble to remain upright. An orange holographic panel appeared over top of Lightning's left gauntlet a split second later, signalling incoming transmissions. Lightning tapped the blinking light in the middle of his communicator. Panicked voices shouting over one another demanding help, shattered the quiet air of the empty Imperial Barracks. The small group of Cocoon guards mimicked Lightning's actions, they too activating their communicators which immediately barraged them with distress calls. Out of all of the noise, one particular emergency message made Lightning go pale.

"I need a medic in the Imperial Gardens! Now!" It was Captain Villiers. "The Primarch has been hurt! I repeat! The Primarch has been hurt!"

* * *

From the plains bordering Cocoon and Gran Pulse, a lone figure paused and looked up at the sky. A billow of black smoke rose like a tower above the capital city of Cocoon, something that could be seen even at this distance.

A distorted roar. And a flash of steel.

A body crumpled to the ground, its head having been knocked from its shoulders. That was no easy feat considering skin had long twisted and turned to black, corrupted crystal.

"So he's begun to move, has he?" The lone figure shook his weapon clean of black ooze before sheathing it on his back under his cloak. "Looks like another visit is in order."

* * *

_**A/N: **__It was never recorded just what kind of flowers grew all over Gran Pulse, so I randomly chose the first orange flower I could think of to be a part of the Imperial Gardens. On another note, when it comes to growing flowers, I don't have the faintest clue how stuff works. So any flower related growing things referred to in this chapter is completely made up._

_The idea that you can get to know someone through fighting them actually comes from the anime Naruto. One particular scene comes to mind, a conversation between Naruto and Sasuke where Naruto asks Sasuke if he too felt Naruto's feelings when they fought. _

_Winter Solstice has many different meanings to different cultures. For more information, check out (take out the spaces and extra brackets): (h t t p) : / / en . wikipedia . (o) (r) (g) / wiki / Winter_solstice_

_I have no idea where the nickname "Scraggles" came from. I've seen it referred to many times in other fanfictions and have simply borrowed it. It is not mine._

_I envision Lightning's communication device to be similar to Mass Effect's Omni-Tool._


	8. Only Warning

**The ****Kingdom ****of ****Etro**

**_A/N_**___:__ And another chapter is up! A bit of a slower paced chapter, but a necessary one. I apologize for the long blocks of text. I couldn't think of any other way to reveal that information without dragging the chapter down. _

_A huge shoutout goes to denebtenoh for doing the cover art for this fanfiction. The image has been used with permission. You can find the original image here: [http][colon][doubleslash]denebtenoh[period]deviantart[period]com/art/Kingdom-Of-Etro-353217949_

_ As romance is not my strong suit, expect some character OOCness._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ roxyroxas1313 – Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you're enjoying this story. ^^_

**_Disclaimer_**___: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 8: Only Warning ~ ***

"I'm fine, Lightning. Really."

Lightning paced the length of the room. The Primarch's throne room was an enormous room in retrospect, some remarking that it was built to accommodate the towering mass of the mythical fal'Cie, if there ever came a time. Of course, the fal'Cie were nothing more than creatures of myth and legend, just like the Goddess Etro and her Eidolons for that matter.

"Lightning?"

The call of his charge went unbidden, Lightning too busy mentally berating himself for his folly.

A white clad fist tightened.

He knew it. He knew it! He just knew something was going to happen the moment he left the Primarch's side! But instead of protesting it, Lightning did what he was told. Lightning was the good soldier and good soldiers always did what they were told. Damnable gods and fal'Cies! Why did he even let Serah out of his sight?! Lightning growled under his breath, disgusted with himself.

"Lightning?"

The soldier paused in his step, this time hearing the Primarch's muted plea. He turned to the leader of all Cocoon.

Serah Farron sat atop an elevated white marble throne. Three floating crystal stairs, all thanks to Cocoon's advanced technology, led up to the prestigious chair, the one only the Primarch was privileged enough to sit on. An intricately carved backrest spanned twelve feet up into the air, marked with Cocoon's royal symbol, other images associated with the mountain kingdom also making up the frame. Towering over the throne from behind and finishing the amazing piece of workmanship was a jagged chunk of pure diamond, the triangular piece almost doubling the height of the Primarch's chair. Such rarities were found in the heart of Cocoon's mountain, the precious gems growing as commonly as stalagmites.

Pillars of white marble paved the wide hallway leading up to the Primarch's seat, a vibrant silk red carpet connecting the dormant transgate opposite the throne to the throne itself. Also carrying the white marble motif, the walls of the rectangular room were decorated with circular and rectangular lights, both of which ran perpendicular to the white marble floor.

Interspersed between the lights were windows, large floor to ceiling windows which revealed the Primarch's own personal garden, something much smaller but just as beautiful as the Imperial Gardens. The windows themselves were actually large screens, holographically projecting the gardens in place of real windows. An actual window would be a structural weak point and a grave risk for this particular room. So the occupants had to make due with pretend windows. Two banners hung on either side of the Primarch's throne, colourful in their display of the Primarch's sigil.

"Ya should let him pace," Fang said, a bitterness to her voice. "That's all any of us can do right now."

Aside from the regular adornments to the throne room, four white leather couches had also been dragged in, the four of them positioned in a square pattern in front of the Primarch's throne. Advisor Katzroy and his only child Dajh, sat on the couch nearest the Primarch to her left. Advisor Estheim and his son Hope took up the couch just opposite the other Cocoon Advisor, to the Primarch's right.

On the left most couch opposite Cocoon's leader was Oerba Yun Fang, Oerba Dia Vanille next to her, leaning against her sister. Fang wrapped a protective arm around the redhead's shoulders. The last leather couch was empty, Oerba Kamau Gadot and Oerba Kamau Lebreau choosing to stand behind Fang and Vanille's couch, defensively instead. All Pulsians had their weapons with them, as did Lightning and the Primarch. Advisor Katzroy was the only of the two Cocoon Advisors who was armed, a pair of Cocoon energy pistols strapped to his legs.

Three hours ago, the Cocoon Imperial Palace experienced its most devastating attack yet. The Imperial Army, led by Captain Snow Villiers and his two lieutenants, were still trying to figure out who was responsible for the attack. While there was much left unknown, there was no question about the casualties.

Advisor Nabaat was dead. As was a dozen Imperial attendants and soldiers. They were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Of those who survived, twenty nine people sustained critically injuries, forty-one of them, including the Primarch, Vanille, and their bodyguards, receiving serious but non life threatening wounds. Dozens more were still accounted for.

How their attackers managed to sneak past six lines of security, that which included technological defences and patrolling soldiers, was still the question of the hour. The improvised bomb used in the attack literally imploded a quarter of the Imperial Palace, something that should have never happened considering what was needed for such a blast. Alarms should have raised long before that device was assembled, its height being almost as tall as a regular adult's.

Captain Villiers and Gadot shielded the Primarch and Vanille from the blast, the Imperial Gardens on the outer edge of the explosion. As Lady Luck would have it, both men only suffered scraps and scratches. Vanille was injured by a piece of flying shrapnel which caught her the hip, the Primarch having a similar injury but on her left arm. The pinkette currently wore a sling, her left upper arm layered in white bandages, the only evidence they were in any danger at all.

A pair of crutches rested against the side of the couch Fang and Vanille occupied, closest to Vanille, the redhead's left leg from the hip down encased in a brace, white bandages also peeking out from underneath. Because of the shock of the attack, Vanille couldn't muster the strength to conjure healing magics, leaving Fang in the uncomfortable situation of reluctantly permitting Cocoon medics to attend to her sister. While technologically more advanced, the mountain kingdom had nothing in their arsenal which could offer instantaneous tissue regeneration like magic did. And hence, bandages were in order.

The Primarch sighed, hearing truth in the lancer's words.

Very little could be done right now, Serah entrusting Snow with sorting out this mess. Normally this kind of thing would have been left to Lightning, but the soldier was too close to the Primarch to be thinking rationally right now. Besides, the Primarch felt better having her bodyguard nearby. This was the safest place in all of Cocoon (aside from the Primarch's personal chambers) right now. And not just because of Lightning's presence, nor the presence of the thirty Imperial Guards standing watch inside of the Primarch's Throne room.

"Lightning, come here please."

Lightning made his way to the Primarch's throne without question. Serah immediately looped her good arm around his and rested her head against her bodyguard's shoulder when he was close enough. She closed her eyes.

The Primarch's Throne room was the inner most room in all of the Imperial Palace, Serah Farron's place of residence half built out of the mountain the Cocoon people thrived on. For normal folk, getting an audience with the Primarch meant meeting her via holograms. Unless you were an Imperial Attendant or Imperial Soldier, both of which went through a vigorous screening process of almost a hundred levels, you didn't get to see the Primarch in person. It was one of many security measures instilled over the years. The Primarch's predecessors' legacy of sorts. The only exception to this was the Pulsian envoy, this being an extreme case when it came to the Kingdom of Cocoon's overall security.

Putting that aside, to get this far into the Imperial Palace, an intruder would have to go through twenty lines of Imperial Guards patrolling the palace itself, and twenty technological lines of defence including automated security drones, heat and movement seeking energy turrets, energy barriers, and the ten foot thick titanium walls encapsulating the Primarch's Throne room. The only way into here without bashing through the walls, something which needed the might of ten fal'Cies to do and almost all of time itself, was through transgates. Transgates needed a teleportation address however, and even if a transgate was accessible and the address in hand, it still took a few seconds for the transgate to power up.

Then of course, there was Lightning himself to deal after all of that. And the Primarch herself too. Starseeker rested against the right side of her throne, in sword form, ready to be used.

"Are you feeling ill, Primarch?"

Serah shook her head slightly, her eyes still closed. She could feel Lightning's anxiety and worry through the tenseness of his muscles and the way his shoulders felt stiff like rock.

"Allow me this selfish indulgence," the Primarch said softly. "Just for a little while."

A quiet inhale.

"Alright."

Locks of rose coloured hair were gently pushed away from the Primarch's eyes by a white gloved hand. Serah relished such open affection from her bodyguard, Lightning having never done this before aside from when they were alone. At the sound of the transgate powering up on the opposite end of the room, those movements stopped, the Primarch quickly snapping awake, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Lightning untangled himself from Serah to stand in front of the Primarch and her throne.

Fang was just quick on her feet, jumping over the back of the white couch she shared with Vanille, her spear drawn. The Kamau twins flanked her on either side, a quick glance behind revealing Lightning also armed with that fancy blade of his. Fang smirked upon hearing the crackling of a Thundaga in the soldier's hand. Vanille remained half hidden behind the Pulsian trio on the couch, her binding rod in hand should she need it. She was hoping it wouldn't come to that, especially with the armed contingent of Cocoon soldiers already flanking the transgate, taking up defensive positions around it, some of them placing themselves between them and the teleportation device itself.

In a flash of purple, one sole form materialized, the transgate falling dormant again. They were greeted by thirty energy rifles, one spear, one greatsword, two short swords, one binding rod, two energy pistols, one gunblade, and one sword bow, every single weapon pointed at them.

"It's only me," Captain Villiers said, his hands raised in front of him to show his surrender. "At ease."

Breaths of relief sounded all over the throne room, weapons lowered a moment later. A white gloved hand closed into a fist, snuffing out the Thundaga. Lightning was the last to lower his weapon, as was Fang and the rest of the Pulsian envoy, but even then they didn't lower their guard. With a nod from the blonde, the Imperial Guards went back to their standby positions.

"Please tell me you have something," the Primarch said as the Cocoon Captain approached the throne.

"I do," Snow said, his lips pressed together into a grim line. He held up a datalogue in his hand. "Here's who's claiming responsibility for the attack."

The Pulsian representatives gave each other a look, settling back into their previous positions as Lightning momentarily left the Primarch's side to intercept Captain Villiers. Snow immediately relinquished the datalogue over to Lightning, following up with a respectful bow. As the soldier started to read it, the good captain backed up three steps.

_CRACK!_

The datalogue exploded into pieces to the sound of breaking glass and Thunder.

"I want every last one of them hunted down and shot on sight!" Lightning roared, furious blue eyes glaring at the Cocoon Captain.

Snow bowed without question. "It shall be done. I shall oversee this matter myself."

No one missed the vehemence in the blonde's voice. While known for his caring, most of the time good natured side, not many people knew about the captain's unforgiving side, one which was currently rearing its ugly head. Lightning wasn't the only one who knew how to make people disappear for good.

Booming footsteps marked Captain Villier's exit through the transgate, the behemoth of a man's posture rigid, his booted feet marching now with purpose. When the transgate closed again, all was quiet in the Primarch's throne room, except for the soft squeak of Lightning's hand further tightening around his gunblade. If one looked hard enough, they could see Blazefire Saber shaking in the soldier's grasp.

"Lightning?"

At the sound of his name, Lightning turned towards the Primarch again, the full extent of his fury clearly seen in his gaze.

Fang knew that look. She had seen it before in aggravated, cornered, feral beasts. Such beasts were always the most dangerous of the lot. The Pulsian lancer unconsciously raised her spear in front of her defensively. Lightning immediately caught that movement out of the corner of his eye, raising his gunblade as well.

"Calm yerself, Sunshine," Fang said, daring to take a step closer to the irate man. She raised her free hand up, palm facing the white garbed soldier, hoping to placate him. "Yer not gonna do anyone good if ya start pickin' fights wit' us."

To hear such rational words from the Pulsian huntress shocked the Primarch. Fang didn't even seem the type. That was more Vanille's domain. Vanille however, was not surprised by this turn of events in the least bit. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Fang was a natural born leader. As such, this was not the first fight she'd have broken up before. Good leaders took care of their people. Which raised the question, did Fang think of Lightning on equal grounds with her?

"What did the datalogue say?" Advisor Estheim piped up, hoping a change of subject would diffuse the already tense situation.

Lightning glared in Advisor Estheim's direction for a good few seconds before speaking. "PSICOM," the soldier ground out. "PSICOM claimed responsibility for the attack."

Lightning's gaze shifted to Advisor Katzroy. "They threatened further retribution should these peace talks continue."

"Maker," Sazh said, rubbing his forehead. "As if we don't have enough things troubling us already. First one of our own attacks us, and now this?"

"That makes no sense." It would be Kamau Lebreau who spoke up there. "How does attacking the Primarch help them? You're all on the same side."

"No," Serah said, a sad smile on her face. "I wish that were the case, but it's not."

Lebreau looked at the Primarch in confusion.

"Not everyone believes peace between kingdoms is the right thing for Cocoon," Advisor Estheim said. He shifted in his seat, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders.

"These same narrow minded individuals are a small part of our population, mind you, but no less dangerous. As this most recent attack has proved, they are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure this peace treaty does not happen."

"How does hurting the Primarch accomplish what they want?" Kamau Gadot frowned. "What? They think this will scare you away? Or us for that matter?"

"Not hurting," Advisor Katzroy told the man. "Killing."

Eyes widened in realization.

"Kill the Primarch and force an early election for the Cocoon leadership," Advisor Katzroy continued. "With the Farron bloodline ending with our current Primarch, there would be no one to refute the vote."

Lightning and Serah shared a look.

"Pull some strings here and there, and then you have a more Cocoon friendly candidate in power."

"Etro's norks!" Fang threw up her hands in exasperation. "Are all of ya highlanders, the lot of ya in this room not included, nutters in the head?"

"I sometimes wonder that myself, Oerba Yun Fang," Advisor Estheim said, sighing. He took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.

Silence reigned in the Primarch's throne room again.

"Maybe..." Vanille said after a while. She looked at everyone hesitantly. "Maybe this peace treaty shouldn't happen after all..."

"Vanille-"

"No!"

_SMACK!_

The Primarch's good hand slapped down on her arm rest. "I will not cower in fear to the likes of these terrorists," Serah said through clenched teeth. She rose from her throne, angry. "This attack should be even more reason why the peace treaty should go through."

"But more people will get hurt!" Vanille protested.

"There will be never ending causalities in both kingdoms if this war continues," the Primarch retorted. Slowly she made her way down from her throne.

"This war has brought us all pain, and suffering, and loss. It has hung over our heads for centuries, like a devastating cloud of Chaos, poisoning us all. How much longer will this go on? How long will it be before we say enough is enough?"

All eyes were fixated on the pinkette, no one breathing, no one speaking.

"Must I be the one to say it?" Serah asked. She gritted her teeth when no one answered her. "Fine," she said. "I'll say it."

A roar.

"I have had enough!"

Lightning reached out to hold the Primarch's elbow, concerned his leader's legs might give out from under her by the way she was shaking. Tears pooled in the corner of the Primarch's eyes, her cheeks flushed and not because of something embarrassing.

"I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of watching people, my people, die for something that was started centuries ago. Aren't you?"

The Primarch leaned against her bodyguard again, the adrenaline of the original moment now fading. "We don't even know why it was started in the first place."

Fang's mouth opened to retort, but then she closed it when she realized she had no rebuke. When the Primarch put it that way, nothing she'd been told before felt right enough to say. Gadot looked to this twin, Lebreau only shrugging her shoulders, shaking her head.

Advisor Estheim and Advisor Katzroy glanced at each other.

"I've been told-" Fang tried again. But she would not finish.

"You've been told," the Primarch interrupted, fury in her tone again. "But do you actually have proof? Do you actually know the real reason why we've been at war for centuries?"

When no one responded, Serah took that as her cue to continue. "Ever since I took the throne, I've been trying to find that reason. And after all of this time, I have found nothing."

Vanille frowned. The Primarch found nothing? That didn't make any sense. Something wasn't adding up here.

"Cocoon is one of the most technologically advanced societies on this continent," the Primarch continued. That was not boast nor an arrogant proclamation. That was fact.

"One whose archives go back to the time our ancestors stopped worshipping the old gods. Yet when investigating the records about this war, there's nothing there. No records. Nothing."

The Primarch's gaze raked across the room. "Doesn't that seem a little strange to you?"

Advisor Katzroy felt eyes on him.

"Sazh," Vanille began. The Cocoon Advisor's words from the other night hadn't stopped bothering the redhead, even after all the time that had passed. "What did you see all those years ago? What made you seek asylum here?"

Sazh sighed heavily. "If I knew Vanille that, I'd tell you," the old man said. "But right now, I'm still not sure what I saw."

Things were starting to sound worse and worse by the minute.

"As it stands," the Primarch continued, drawing attention back to herself again. She straightened up a bit, Lightning still supporting her. "This peace treaty is going to through. No matter what happens."

A small smile curved on Kamau Lebreau's lips.

"It will be a fair treaty, one that reflects both sides equally," the Primarch said. "I will personally make sure of that." A pause. "And if someone doesn't like that, then they'll have to take it up with me."

Fang smirked. Not only was Lightning growing on her, this tough little Primarch was too.

Gadot leaned over to whisper to his sister. "I'm glad she's the one in charge."

Lebreau rolled her eyes.

"For now, our current focus should be on recovering," the Primarch stated. "Peace talks will resume in three more days."

A glance around the room.

"Any objections?"

Serah was only met with silence.

"Good."

* * *

"Worthless, all of you."

Another body thumped to the ground.

"P-Please! We did everything you told us to do!" a PSICOM commando squeaked. He was the only was left alive in this room. "But the walls were thicker than we- No! NOOOOO!"

SLASH!

A headless form crumpled to the ground.

"I'm done wasting my time on you."

A single figure rose from their chair, deftly flitting around the bodies and blood staining the floor as they walked out. With his point made, the man nonchalantly strode out of the hidden PSICOM base on the outskirts of the capital city.

"Time to do what I should have done from the very start," he muttered to himself.

A ghost of a smile.

"Isn't that right, Yeul?"

* * *

___**A/N: **____I envision the Primarch's throne to be very similar to Etro's throne as seen in FFXIII-2. As for the throne room, I see it as a mix of the Narthex (FFXIII) and medieval styled throne room. I used the following images for reference (take out the spaces and extra brackets):_

___[h t t p] : / / [tiny][url]. __( c o m ) / b6zr35t _

_______[h t t p] : / / [____tiny][url_ ]. ( c o m ) / bd8sl3f 

_______[h t t p] : / / [ ____tiny][url_]. ( c o m ) / a8adpxy 

_______[h t t p] : / / [____tiny][url_ ]. ( c o m ) / al8fqtm 

_______[h t t p] : / / [____tiny][url_ ]. ( c o m ) / by6ed4c 

_______[h t t p] : / / [____tiny][url_ ]. ( c o m ) / a6pfcyu

___In case there was some confusion, transgates were the mini portals used in FFXIII during the Eden chapter of the game. For this story, transgrates have an address dialing mechanism similar to stargates in the Stargate: SG1 tv show._

___Norks is actually Australian slang for breasts. Hence, Fang is really saying 'Etro's breasts!'. That exclamation of frustration was derived from the phrase 'Andraste's tits!' which came from the game Dragon Age 2. Lol._

___For all of you Mass Effect fans out there, you may have noticed a familiar line in Serah's speech about war. ;)_


	9. Eyes Wide Open

**The Kingdom of Etro**

**_A/N_**___: __And another chapter is live! __As __romance __is not __my __strong __suit, __expect __some __character __OOCness._

_On a random note, I just realized this piece has over 100 reviews. Wow! You all are awesome! Thanks!_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Guest – Thanks for the review! I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want Lightning glaring at me when that happened. Hehe. I'm guessing this is denebtenoh? If so, thanks for the cover! It's awesome. :)_

_ roxyroxas1313 – Thanks for the review. ^^ Also thanks for the review on my "Tainted Fal'Cie" story. I left a reply in the epilogue of that story for you. :) I had a good chuckle when you brought up Lightning's mask. Why? Well... let's just say her mask might be coming off soon. You'll see what I mean. XD_

**_Disclaimer_**___: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 9: Eyes Wide Open ~ ***

Today was the day.

Today was the day the peace treaty between the Kingdom of Cocoon and the Kingdom of Gran Pulse was going to be signed.

And Lightning was a nervous wreck.

After the passing of eight uneventful days, Cocoon's Imperial security tighter than ever, the specifics between the two warring kingdoms had finally been worked out and an agreement made. Now all that was left was for the treaty to be signed and that was that. But it couldn't have been that simple. Nothing was ever that simple.

Lightning paced the Primarch's Throne Room, his eyes darting, his hands twitching at every sound, both familiar and not.

PSICOM had been surprisingly non-existent this past week, in spite of Captain Villiers extra efforts to hunt them down. While the Cocoon Captain made some leeway in locating and disbanding a few minor pockets of rebellion, that was nowhere near the estimated numbers PSICOM was thought to have. And that only made Lightning more paranoid.

He could feel it.

The calm before the storm.

Something big was about to happen.

Despite all of the advances they made in beefing up security and fortifying the Imperial Palace, the Primarch's personal bodyguard wasn't entirely convinced it was enough. It was impossible to prepare for every possible thing that could go wrong. Only so much could be done, Lightning knew, but still, Lightning felt no safer today than he did days ago when the Primarch had been attacked.

"You mind not pacing so much, soldier?" Advisor Katzroy directed at Lightning. He sat at the large oval table now present in the Primarch's Throne Room, along with the rest of the delegates. "You're making me nervous."

Lightning glanced at Advisor Katzroy but continued to pace.

The old man sighed.

"It will all be over soon, my friend," Advisor Estheim said, sitting next to Advisor Katzroy.

Like the other Cocoon Advisor, Advisor Estheim was also feeling at his wits end. His nerves were frayed, his patience thin. The eldest Estheim, like the rest of them, was ready to have a nervous breakdown if this situation didn't come to a close soon. Unlike previous days, neither Hope nor Dajh were with their fathers. As much as the two men wanted their sons nearby, if an attack were to occur, the Primarch's Throne Room would be ground zero. So the younger ones were left at home today, under the watchful eye of a dozen or so Imperial Guards.

Serah Farron took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Oerba Yun Fang. Oerba Dia Vanille. Is the treaty to your liking?"

The said Pulsians looked up from the datalogues in their hands, both Fang and Vanille reading the peace treaty over for the umpteenth time to make sure all was in order. Like the Primarch promised, the treaty was fair, compromises made on both sides to ensure commonality between the kingdoms. There was nothing in the peace treaty either Pulsian could argue against as being unfair. Everything was acceptable. And never did anyone think this day would ever come.

The Kamau twins stood silently behind their charges, watching with bated breath as Fang and Vanille continued to read the treaty in their hands. Like everyone else in the room, they were tense, jittery, and wound up tighter than a spring. Just when the silence seemed to drag on even further, Fang put down her datalogue and looked over at Vanille. The redheaded Dia set her datalogue down moments later, giving her sister a nod.

"This is acceptable," Fang said. "We are ready ta make this compact."

Tension dissipated instantly, everyone in the room relaxing in silent relief.

It would soon be over.

Then a muffled boom in the distance caught everyone's ears, making everyone tense up again.

Lightning's left gauntlet lit up orange, a clear and pulsing alarm pinging from it. One sole holographic button flashed on his gauntlet. The soldier sucked in a breath, gritting his teeth as he activated his communications device to read the alert.

The Primarch rose from her chair, pale. "Light-"

"Don't," Lightning interrupted. His cold blue eyes made the pinkette freeze in her spot. "Sign the peace treaty," he said.

"But-"

"I will give you the time you need."

Fang locked eyes with the white garbed soldier. Her hidden brand burned hot, making her tremble. She silently wondered if Lightning felt the same way, noticing the faint shaking of the man's hand as he squeezed his gunblade's handle tighter. Somehow, the soldier was always in tune with her during times like this, mirroring what Fang was feeling. Fang didn't know what it was between them, but she was glad she wasn't the only one feeling this way. She wasn't going crazy. Yet, what was this horrible feeling of dread that had overcome her now?

"Primarch!"

Serah jumped at Lightning's voice again, having not moved an inch from her spot. Something was terribly wrong. She could hear it in Lightning's voice. It was shaking.

"The treaty!"

"R-Right!" The Primarch started to move again, sitting down quickly to finalize the peace treaty. Two copies would be signed today, one in datalogue form and one in the old style parchment and ink form, both of them translated in Cocoon and Pulsian script. All parties would get a copy of each type, solidifying a peace between the kingdoms which would hopefully last until the end of time.

"Fang."

Fang flinched at the feeling of Vanille's hand on her arm. Her eyes hadn't moved from the Primarch's personal bodyguard even as Lightning went about ordering the Cocoon guards with them to take up defensive positions. They were to shoot anything or anyone new to this room on sight. Captain Villiers was taking care of security outside of this room, commanding the rest of the Imperial Army. He had orders not to step one foot inside of the Primarch's Throne Room unless ordered to by Lightning. And that was the same for the men and women under him.

"We are your shield," Gadot said with a nod. Both him and Lebreau had their weapons out, lowered, but at the ready. It would only take a split second for them to raise them if they needed to use them.

Fang swallowed back the lump in her throat, reluctantly tearing her gaze away from Lightning. Emerald green eyes stared at the two documents in front of her, one electronic, one on parchment.

"I, Oerba Yun Fang, from the Kingdom of Gran Pulse accept the terms of this peace treaty," the lancer said as she pressed her open palm on the datalogue screen. A simple beep signalled her palm print had been accepted and logged as the signature in the electronic document. Pressing her palm against the ink pad next to the roll of parchment, Fang then proceeded to mark the peace treaty on the roll of parchment the same way.

"This is proof of my acceptance, my word absolute."

Peeling back her hand from the parchment, Fang passed both copies of the treaty to Vanille, her sister doing the same thing, acting as a witness to this event. Fang looked across the table to see the Primarch had just done the same with the documents in front of her, signing them, then passing them over to the two Cocoon Advisors next to her. They would be Cocoon's witnesses. It would take all of two more minutes before all documents on the table were signed by both parties, four exact copies of the peace treaty complete, two of the electronic sort. Once the ink dried and the datalogues were locked permanently, the Primarch met Fang's gaze.

It was done.

"Pointless."

A cloud of black mist dissipated in a flash of purple revealing one lone form, new to the Primarch's Throne Room. The transgate remained dormant behind the man, having been so since yesterday.

Everyone flinched at the new voice.

"The time measured by Etro will cease to exist."

Black leather armor covered his form, hair the colour of lavender and adorned with beads and feathers. In his hand was a massive blade of onyx, almost as long as the man was tall. Violet eyes narrowed as the intruder scanned the room in front of him. Cocoon energy rifles sputtered to life, the Cocoon Imperial Guards peppering the intruder with bolts of energy.

Lightning stood frozen in his spot, jaw slack, his blue eyes wide with disbelief and horror. Blazefire Saber was gripped limply in his hand. That voice. He recognized that voice!

"All potential and possibilities will collapse."

Violet eyes glowed red, time distorting and freezing in a bubble of translucent grey which expanded outwards from the intruder to encompass the entirety of the Primarch's Throne Room. Energy bolts froze in mid air, stopping inches short of piercing through black armor and flesh. Seeing this, the Cocoon Imperial Guards ceased firing, gawking at the sight, torn between continuing to shoot and trying something else.

"Time will end, and the future will fade."

The closest Imperial Guards to the intruder dropped like sacks of potatoes, their heads severed from their bodies in a flash of black. Neither armor nor Mana Drivers could protected them from the magic this man wielded. On his massive onyx sword, a purple eye glowed brightly from its hilt.

The Primarch gasped, her face as white as a sheet. Starseeker shook in her grasp, Serah's legs trembling violently, threatening to give out under her.

This wasn't happening.

This couldn't be happening!

Her dreams were starting to come true.

"No..." Serah murmured, horrified.

Cocoon Imperial Guards fell one after another, dismembered in a blink of an eye, bodies thumping to the ground in quick succession. In a matter of minutes, all thirty Imperial Guards guarding the delegates from both kingdoms were dead. And all that remained were the Primarch, her Cocoon Advisors, the Pulsian envoy, and Lightning.

The intruder turned towards the Primarch, raising his blade with a grin.

"You'll have to kill me first!"

Lightning's shock and horror instantly turned to rage and hatred the moment the intruder locked eyes with his charge. If that man thought he was going to lay a hand on Serah, he was dead wrong!

Throwing caution to the wind, the white robed soldier charged at the intruder, their blades connecting with a loud clank of metal and sparks of yellow. Lightning quickly flipped backwards to dodge the sweeping horizontal slash of his opponent. A second later, the soldier in white was darting at the man again, both of them leaping high into the air, blades clashing once more. An Aeroga rushed at the intruder, the man rolling in the air to narrowly dodge it, both him and Lightning pushing back from each other with their blades, landing twenty feet apart by the time they hit the ground.

"No... Lightning!" The Primarch was scrambling. She couldn't let this continue. If it did, Lightning would... she would...

Regaining his balance, Lightning lurched at the intruder again, the other man doing the same. Just as they came within reach of each other, the intruder thrust his sword forward, forcing Lightning to pivot right on his heels to narrowly dodge the blade which would have skewered him in the face. Wasting no time, Lightning lashed out at the intruder's open side, the dark armored man quickly recovering and bringing up his own weapon to block the strike.

With his incredible strength, the intruder forced Lightning's gunblade back with a hard shove, momentarily throwing the soldier off balance. Turning on his heel, the intruder in black spun around in a three hundred and sixty degree slash attack, trying to separate Lightning's head from his shoulders like he'd done with the other Cocoon guards. Lightning expected that move however, ducking down to one knee, also spinning around, while bringing Blazefire Saber up at the same time over his head to deflect the blow. The intruder leapt backwards into the air to avoid the counter strike.

Lightning jumped to his feet, rushing at his opponent before the other man could recover. A Thundaga exploded off of his extended hand just as the intruder touched down on the ground again in a crouch, his blade held parallel to the ground behind him.

"Caius Ballad!"

Caius jumped back a few more feet to evade Lightning's Thundaga, before side stepping around the magical attack to charge directly at the Primarch's personal bodyguard. Blades crossed again with a jarring boom, both combatants struggling for dominance over the other. Lightning growled, his hands shaking as he pushed against Caius' large sword. Caius on the other hand merely smirked, even as his blade was deflected to the side by Lightning's slash. With his opponent now open, Lightning thrust his gunblade through Caius' chest only to meet black mist. Caius Ballad vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"What the... ?"

In front of Lightning was a younger, defiant version of himself, all of seven years old. Her arms were wide, the younger Lightning standing protectively in front of a just as young Oerba Yun Fang.

"Lightning! Behind you!"

Lightning spun around at that cry, the soldier spotting Caius too late. Caius' blade came down on Lightning with the force of an avalanche tearing deep through white garb and flesh from his right shoulder to his left hip. A startled cry escaped Lightning's lips, pain wracking his body as blood spurted and his vision darkened. Lightning's gunblade went flying in some random direction.

The soldier's white marble mask shattered like glass, instantly revealing the true identity of the Primarch's personal bodyguard. Rose coloured hair spilled from white garb, crimson staining Claire's previously untarnished form, the same colour as the scarf she wore around her shoulders. The eldest Farron's limp body hit the ground with a thump, remaining deathly still. A silver lightning bolt pendant clanked to the ground a moment later.

"CLAIRE!"

Fang couldn't breathe.

"Too easy."

The man revealed to be Caius Ballad stood over Claire's broken body, smirking as he raised his monolithic blade in preparation for the killing blow.

And Fang couldn't believe her eyes.

Like the rest of them, Oerba Yun Fang had been a spectator in the fight between Lightning and Caius. Their fight was fast, ruthless and most of all, too sporadic for anyone else to provide support to the Primarch's personal bodyguard. They would only get in the way. So she waited. Fang waited for an opening. But one never came. And now, Fang watched in slow motion as Caius' blade raced down towards the one she had sought out for most of her life. The hidden mark on her arm lit up like a star.

Fang screamed.

Caius Ballad looked up in surprise, his sword arm pausing when the heavy weight of magic hit him. Violet coloured eyes immediately caught sight of a pillar of orange and yellow, Caius blinking when the light faded, revealing one lone form. Once bronze coloured skin was now black, marked with orange and red sigils all throughout. Unruly black hair was replaced with a magnificent mane of gold, a pronged tail slicing through the air behind this mythical beast.

"Ragnarok," Caius said in disbelief, just as the creature itself charged at him.

"Fang!" Vanille cried out in horror, the Kamau twins blocking her path before she could follow behind her transformed sister. "We have to help her!"

"And just what are we supposed to do?"

A reverberating boom shook the room, making the Pulsian trio flinch. On the other side of the Primarch's Throne Room, Ragnarok had successfully smashed Caius into the wall back first, cratering it. Caius struggled to keep his blade between him and the woman turned beast. Claws screeched against metal.

"Claire!"

The Primarch zipped passed the Pulsian group, making a mad dash for her fallen sister.

"Primarch!" Advisor Estheim exclaimed, chasing after the girl. Advisor Katzroy was with him.

Serah skidded to a halt on her knees next to Claire, a hand immediately clamping across her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. The smell of blood was overwhelming, Claire's almost non-existent gasps for breath the only indication she was still alive. Barely.

"C-Claire," Serah sobbed. She cradled her sister's head in her arms. "Hang on, Claire. Hang on!"

A roar erupted nearby, a crash following soon afterwards as Ragnarok was sent flying into the opposite wall. Wasting no time, Caius thrust his blade upwards, the purple eye like jewel in the sword's hilt glowing brightly.

"Oye! Vanille!"

Vanille ignored the startled cries of her bodyguards and rushed to the Primarch's side. A Curaga was already forming in her hand. By then, the two Cocoon Advisors had also caught up to them, placing themselves between the intruder and the Primarch and her fallen bodyguard. Kamau Gadot and Kamau Lebreau quickly scrambled to join the rest of the group, standing defensively in front of everyone, weapons raised.

"What is that!?" Advisor Katzroy shouted.

The previously dead bodies of the Cocoon Imperial Guards began to spasm and flail. Skin twisted and darkened to black rock, limbs distorting to form corrupted appendages. A bubble of red formed on the twisted corpses' chest, blinking once solidified. A tormented human face screaming in silent agony made up the creatures' head. No longer were the corpses human. Now there were only the Undying.

"Maker almighty!" Advisor Katzroy exclaimed. "He turned them into Cie'th!"

"We need to protect the Primarch!" Advisor Estheim shouted to his fellow Cocoon Advisor.

The eldest Estheim picked up the nearest Cocoon energy rifle and shot at the closest Undying to them. Bartholomew was no soldier, but he wasn't about to let the Primarch and her newly revealed sister die, no matter how crazy things had gotten. Sazh's twin pistols sputtered to life next to him. Yet try as they might, just like before, the energy bolts stopped in mid air, inches away from their target.

"Cast your shadow over all."

Ragnarok's claws tore through the nearest Undying, splitting the abomination down the middle. Bullets whizzed all around it, freezing in mid air, but its sole gaze was on the one who now began to glow a deep purple.

"Wings of night!"

A burst of black fire engulfed half of the Primarch's Throne Room, from floor to ceiling, a sonic boom blasting outward from it. The force of the blast threw the two Cocoon Advisors and the Kamau twins off of their feet and tumbling fifteen feet away as they were the closest ones aside from Ragnarok to Caius Ballad. Ragnarok dug its long claws into the ground to stop itself from being tossed backwards as well, roaring in defiance. When the black flames died down, a giant metallic looking dragon stood in Caius' place. Silver claws adorned its hands, a helm of silver also reinforcing its head. Armor as black as night made up of the rest of its body, various divine markings imprinted on its chest and back. Towering above them all on two feet, its head nearly touching the high ceiling of the Primarch's Throne Room, Chaos Bahamut reared back its head and let loose a mighty roar.

"Maker help us."

Advisor Estheim lay frozen on his back, gawking at the monstrosity as it loomed over them. Ragnarok had no such hesitation, the mythical creature immediately charging its super sized opponent, leaping at its face the moment it was in range. Chaos Bahamut saw this coming, a ball of flame bursting from its open maw just as Ragnarok lined up with its face. Ragnarok's howl was cut off mid scream, a flaming mass flying backwards through the air before a smoking Fang, back to her human form, landed with a crunch next to Serah, Vanille and the barely alive Claire. On the verge of unconsciousness, Fang's fingers weakly wrapped around the lightning bolt pendant next to her.

"Claire..." she wheezed.

"Fang!" Vanille cried out.

The redhead was torn between going to her sister and continuing to heal the Primarch's bodyguard. In spite of all the magic she was pouring into the other pinkette, the wound Claire suffered refused to close.

A shadow hovered over the quartet.

Serah looked up with tearful eyes, ones which widened in fright at the sight of Chaos Bahamut sneering down at them. Chaos Bahamut raised a clawed hand. Serah screamed, hunching over her sister's form the moment the claw came down upon them.

Something clinked and rolled to a stop at Chaos Bahamut's feet.

"For you."

An explosion engulfed the man turned mechanical beast, Chaos Bahamut's claws swiping harmlessly through air as he lost his balance, tumbling backwards into the nearest wall. When the smoke from the mini explosion cleared and the monster looked back at his prey, a cloaked figure now stood with them.

"Amodar," Chaos Bahamut hissed.

"It's been a long time Caius," the wanderer Amodar said.

A tuft of short brown hair spilled out from under a dark brown cloak, the muscled bulk that was Amodar clearly seen despite his covering. A massive bulge protruded from the side of his cloak, without a doubt, some sort of weapon, one of Cocoon design given the shape.

Amodar narrowed his eyes. "Stirring up trouble again, I see?"

Chaos Bahamut roared.

"I will not allow you to hurt them."

From beneath Amodar's cloak raised a cannon blade, the weapon bigger than Amodar himself. The main cannon body was a pea green colour, the nozzle of the cannon made up of six black barrels which shot in quick succession like a gatling gun. Underneath the cannon nozzle was a three foot long black curved blade, strong enough to cleave a Behemoth King's skull in half. Amodar raised his weapon to point it at Chaos Bahamut.

Chaos Bahamut laughed. "You cannot stop me. Not now."

Amodar smiled. "And I don't intend to."

A green glow appeared beneath Amodar's feet and that of the four behind him.

"I'll just be borrowing the kids for a little while."

Realizing what the Wanderer was up to, Chaos Bahamut charged at the group, only to be pushed back by a hail of gunfire. Three objects rolled to a stop at his feet, white smoke filling his vision a split second later as tear gas enveloped his form. Rushing blindly out of the gas cloud, Chaos Bahamut swiped at air, his red eyes spotting the dying glow of a teleportation portal once his vision cleared. He snarled.

Of all the times for Amodar to interfere with his affairs! He was going to make that man pay for his treachery the next time he saw him.

The sound of gunfire snapped the mechanical beast out of his thoughts, Chaos Bahamut spying the remaining survivors feebly attempting to push back his Undying. Looking back across the half destroyed room, Chaos Bahamut chuckled.

Oh well. He'd kill that lot in due time. They would most certainly return, especially once he started tearing up Cocoon, Gran Pulse to follow suite.

* * *

___**A/N: **____The fight between Lightning and Caius (in human form) is heavily based on their fight as seen in the Requiem of the Goddess DLC. _

___While Lightning favors lightning magical attacks, that is not the only magic he knows. Hence the Aeroga popping up._

___You'll recognize various lines taken from the FFXIII-2 game._

___To find out more about the Undying, check out this link (take out the extra spaces and brackets): (h) (t) (t) (p) : / / finalfantasy . (wikia) . (c) (o) (m) / wiki/Undying_%28Final_Fantasy_XIII%29_

___I envision Amodar to look similar to how he looks in the FFXIII-2 DLC. You can find out more on him here: (h) (t) (t) (p) : / / finalfantasy . (wikia) . (c) (o) (m) / wiki / Lieutenant_Amodar_%28Boss%29_


	10. That Day Years Ago

**The Kingdom of Etro**

**_A/N_**___: __And another chapter is live! This chapter was originally titled "Ten Years Ago", but then I realized the events I would be covering actually took place roughly thirteen years ago, and hence, the title no longer fit._

_As romance is not my strong suit, expect some character OOCness._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment! ^^ I know a lot of people want to know what happens to the reveal, and this chapter is your answer to that. Enjoy! :)_

_ tlrc – Thanks for the comment! ^^ While this story still has many more chapters to go, it's definitely going to be much shorted than my "Tainted Fal'Cie" piece. Lol. But of course, no less interesting. ;) Enjoy the chapter!_

_ anon – Thanks for the comment! It's always wonderful to see comments from new readers to the story, especially ones who speak so passionately about it. In response to the things you bring up, this is what I have to say. I have played the games, more than twice, gotten all the achievements for them, watched all of the cutscenes a dozen times and referred to the wiki hundreds of times when writing any FF related stories. What you're referring to, the lack of "Claire" in reference to Lightning and her gender is canon. By definition, Fanfiction is not canon. While some fanfiction writers come close to mimicking canon, fanfiction is fiction done by fans. Everyone has their own interpretation of the characters, the story etc, and this one is no different. Also, this story is an AU, short form for Alternate Universe. That means while it has some elements of canon, it deviates from it at the same time. From day one of this story, I have not hidden that fact. I have not proclaimed this to be a strictly canon story. If that's what you're looking for, the best place to get that from is Square Enix themself, as they created this series of F__inal __F__antasy__ games. While Lightning's pronoun will be changed to her proper gender, as now her secret has been revealed, the use of her given name "Claire" will not be. The relationship that Serah and everyone else has with our favorite heroine in this story is not canon and different from the games, and hence, her given name will be used. That being said, it's up to you whether or not you'll continue reading this story. While it's always nice to see new readers discovering my stories, you are by no means forced or obligated to read them. It is your choice to do so. Whatever you decide to do at this point, I thank you nevertheless, for taking the time to read this story to this point. And if this story is not for you, I hope you may someday find what you're looking for._

_ not that anon – Thanks for the comment! ^^ Like yourself, I wasn't too impressed with the second game. They promised Lightning to be the main character and for her to get a happy ending, and of course that didn't happen. Worse off yet, Serah dies after all of her hard work trying to make things right. As for this final game coming out later this year, I did raise an eyebrow at some of the costumes Lightning has for that one, but admittedly have a soft spot for that green one with pants. Lol. We can only hope of course that our favorite soldier now gets her happy ending with this last game. As for my story and how everyone will react to Lightning's 'de-masking', I believe this chapter should help answer some of that for you. Hehe._

_ Guest – While this is not the first time someone has requested I speed up the posting schedule for a story, I think this has to be the first time someone has resorted to name calling. Why people feel the need to indulge in such immature __behavior__ is beyond me, but that being said, name calling will not __make me post updates any faster. Due to real life commitments (real life stuff will always take precedence over my fanfiction, no matter how much I love to write), updates for all of my stories are slower than I would prefer. As such, in my ffnet profile, I have put up the posting schedules for all of my stories, so that readers know when the next chapters come out. If you would like to know when a story will get updated, your best bet is to check the schedule on my profile._

_**Disclaimer**: The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 10: That Day Years Ago ~ ***

She ran.

As fast as her short legs could take her, Fang ran. Trailing behind her was Claire, the pink haired seven year old also running with everything she had. Connected by only their intertwined hands, the two girls scurried between trees and unearthed roots, over fallen logs and under tangled vines, through weeds and brushes, with only the clothes on their backs. And each other. Behind them echoed the sounds of death, as if the very fal'Cie Titan had gone on a rampage, snuffing out all life he was supposed to cultivate. Sadly, it wasn't Titan they were running from. It was someone more scary.

A yelp.

The hand in her own was suddenly ripped away, Fang skidding to a halt, the rough grasses scraping against her bare shins. Ignoring the stinging pain on the skin of her legs, Fang's gaze immediately swivelled to the scenery behind her, her running companion no longer in sight. Emerald eyes were wide and wild, the small Pulsian's muscles tensing, fists clenching as she readied herself to jump at whatever monster had snatched her friend away. She brought up the wooden weapon in her hands defensively.

"C-Claire?"

Thankfully, there was no monster in sight, just the long grasses that reached their waists. A whimper a few feet away drew Fang's gaze to the right, Fang backtracking to her now fallen friend. She breathed in relief when she caught sight of pink hair amongst the reeds.

A sniffle.

"I tripped."

Seven year old Tarak Yun Fang knelt down next to the Cocoonian girl. Tears threatened to fall from bright blue eyes, Claire Farron's face twisted in pain as she held her left ankle. Even in the dimness of the night, Fang could see it starting to swell, probably having been twisted in her friend's tumble. Being ever conscious that they were still out in the open and could easily be found, Fang held out a hand and forced a smile.

"Can ya stand?"

Claire nodded, taking her hand, welcoming the pull to her feet. Though, the moment any weight was placed on her injured foot, she crumpled forward with another whimper. Fang caught her before she fell completely.

"It doesn't hurt," Claire gritted out between clenched teeth, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm f-f-fine," she said, this time unable to keep the stutter out of her voice. She balanced against her friend and on her uninjured foot. "It doesn't hurt," she repeated again.

The sounds behind them were getting louder, horrific screams making their skin crawl. Branches broke in the not too far distance, the trees on the edge of the field of grasses falling over one by one.

It was coming.

"Get on mah back," Fang said, turning around and stooping down. She dropped the wooden stick she was carrying with a clatter. It was her practice spear, the one her father helped her make, a spear with a blunted tip. That was all she managed to grab in the chaos when it started, that and her best friend.

"But-"

"Hurry Claire!"

Claire did as she was told and climbed onto Fang's back, wrapping her arms around the other girl's neck, her legs around Fang's waist. She made sure not to hold on too tight, Fang needed to breathe after all, as the other girl was running for the both of them now. Claire ignored the noticeable shaking coming from the Pulsian, knowing that she also was trembling as much. Both of them had been startled awake in the middle of the night by the awful sounds of flesh being ripped apart hours ago. Before they could make heads or tails of anything, their fathers rushed into the room and told them to run and never look back. But being the ever curious child that she was, Claire disobeyed her father and did look back as they passed through the southern most gates of the village of Tarak. And in the instant she did, she watched her father die.

Claire whimpered at the memory, burying her face in Fang's shoulder as more tears fell.

With a deep breath, Fang grunted, wobbly hefting Claire into the air as she rose to her feet. The thrashing from behind continued to increase in volume, Fang looking over her shoulder to see trees near the horizon topple without resistance. She wasted no further time gawking and took off into a run again, only to stumble on something just a few feet away. Claire yelped at the sudden jerk forward, but Fang just barely managed to keep upright on her feet.

"S-sorry," Fang immediately muttered, her heart pounding in her chest almost painfully. Taking a breath, she twisted her head to the side to see what her obstacle had been.

Fang went pale.

The corpse of a Tarak hunter lay nearby, hidden amongst the tall grasses of Archylte Steepe. His broken weapon lay just out of arms reach. Fang's eyes widened when she spied his lower half, or rather lack there of. There was so much blood on the ground. So much. Never did Fang think a man could bleed so much. But here she was staring at the proof of it. The arms around her neck tightened, a sniffle pressed into her back.

"F-Fang," Claire mewled quietly.

That snapped Fang out of her shock, the Pulsian looking over her shoulder at her companion only to see rose coloured hair. Claire had buried her face in the back of Fang's neck. The Pulsian could feel the tremors coming from the Cocoonian girl. If Claire's steel-like grip on her was anything to go by, she too had seen the dead Tarak hunter.

"D-don't look," Fang said, taking off into a clumsy sprint.

During their escape, Fang spotted other corpses, scattered around the area. There were four in total, the numbers suggesting they were once one of Tarak's many hunting parties. All of them were Yun. To see them here, like this, left Fang both terrified and horrified. Yuns were the strongest hunters out of all of the clans. To have taken four of them out so easily, in their prime, their enemy was insanely strong.

As a child, death was a common sight for Tarak Yun Fang. Hunters were wounded and killed all the time, from Gran Pulse monsters or from the war. Over the years, she'd grown used to the sight, but no less angry about it. For every person who died, she vowed to get that much stronger so no one else would have to suffer. That was the duty of the Yun clan, her clan. To lead the people of Gran Pulse and protect them.

But she failed.

She wasn't strong enough. And people died. And all she could do was flee like a chocobo with her best friend. Some hunter she turned out to be.

An unknown amount of time later, the pair found themselves taking refuge inside of one of the many shrines dedicated to the Goddess Etro. Etro was the goddess of death, one of the few gods the people of Gran Pulse still paid tribute to. White marble made up the walls, ceiling, and floor, pillars of white also reaching skyward towards the stained glass dome in the middle of the ceiling.

Exhausted from her run, Fang lay on the red carpet spanning the floor, her head on Claire's lap as she caught her breath. Neither of them knew how long they had been running for, only that it was a long time and now it was quiet. Judging by the height of the full moon towering above them in the sky, Fang could only guess it was just a few hours past midnight. Orange flames burned near the horizon, mimicking the rising sun.

"Fang."

Fang looked up with tired eyes, very much appreciating the soothing sensation of Claire running a hand through her hair.

"I'm scared."

The Pulsian child pursed her lips, pushing herself up to sit next to her best friend.

"F-F-Father is g-gone and I-"

"Shhh," Fang shushed, wrapping her arms around Claire's shoulders and pulling the other girl close to her. "Everythin' is goin' ta be alright. I promise."

Claire rested her head against Fang's shoulder, sobbing, holding onto her friend's arm tightly. While she knew the other girl was lying, she didn't have the heart to call her out on it. Fang was just as scared as she was. She could feel the Pulsian shaking, and that wasn't from running all that way with Claire riding on her back. The lightning bolt pendant around her neck shifted underneath her clothes.

"I won't let anythin' happen ta ya." Fang squeezed Claire against her tighter, silently hoping she'd be able to keep that promise.

The screeching of claws against stone.

Both girls jerked upright, their eyes wide as they locked eyes with the monstrosity taking up the entire doorway to Etro's shrine. A silver helmeted head snapped to the side, bashing a hole through the door frame, shaking the very temple itself. Soon after, a loud howl pierced the air. Fang scrambled to her feet, only to collapse to her knees, still having not recovered enough strength to stand. To her horror, Claire staggered to her feet also, and jumped in front of her, arms wide, in spite of her painful limp. Despite being ready to faint right now, Claire stared defiantly at the beast, ignoring the tears staining her cheeks. She dared it to attack.

It did, smashing through the doorway with its bulk moments later, its maw wide to eat them both whole.

"CLAIRE!"

* * *

"CLAIRE!"

Fang sputtered as she jerked upright, her vision blurred, pain wracking her frame. Vertigo quickly overcame her, the Pulsian crashing to the ground on her side a split second later, coughing and gasping for breath.

"Fang!"

Small hands rubbed her back, soon after the cooling sensation of healing magic running through her. When she finally was able to breathe without pain, Fang struggled to sit up again, bewildered. "Claire!" she shouted again. "W-where-"

"Calm down, Fang! You're still hurt!" Oerba Dia Vanille pushed down on her sister's shoulder, something currently easy to do given the other Pulsian's weakened state.

It had been only a few hours since the attack on Cocoon's Imperial Palace. Those hours passed by in a blur, one moment all of them were in the Primarch's Throne room and in the next, they (that being herself, an injured Fang, the Primarch and an injured Claire) were here with the one called Amodar. Wherever here was, they didn't know.

It was a cave of sorts, about twenty feet deep and fifteen feet wide, covered on all sides with only one entrance. The ceiling had to be at least another twenty feet up. Unlike the walls and ceiling, which were made of a dark grey rock, the ground was made of brown earth. Two mats composed of straw woven together made up the beds for the injured Fang and injured Claire. Grey, well used blankets covered them both and a small fire crackled next to them. The moment they got here, Amodar took off, telling them to attend to the wounded while he tended to other matters. Serah and Vanille hadn't seen him since.

"C-Claire!" Fang struggled weakly against her sister's firm push downwards, her anxiety and horror not diminishing the least bit. It wasn't until she caught sight of pink hair next to her did she still in her movements.

"Claire..." Fang's voice was so small, so quiet, as if she feared the Cocoonian would break like glass if she spoke any louder. Reaching over with a trembling, bandaged hand, Fang leaned towards her long lost friend.

She was real.

Claire was real. Claire was alive.

Fang choked back a sob.

The Cocoonian pinkette was quiet, her brilliant blue eyes closed. Harsh, pained breaths were the only sounds she made. Every so often, she would mumble things, unintelligible things. Sometimes it was words, other times it was names. Claire's brow twisted in pain, her cheeks flush with fever. Just barely visible under the grey wool blanket covering her were white bandages, ones stained red from her neck downwards. Fang's fingers lightly grazed Claire's cheek. It was warm and soft, curls of rose coloured hair tickling her fingers.

A whimper.

"Don't..." Claire murmured. "I won't..." Claire's face turned away from Fang.

A pale hand interrupted Fang's sight, this particular hand placing a damp cloth across Claire's forehead.

"Shhh, Claire," Serah said. She held her sister's uninjured hand between two of her own. "You're okay. You're safe."

"You!"

The Primarch recoiled at the shout, suddenly finding her collar gripped in white knuckled fists, Fang's face mere inches from her own. Her feet dangled a foot off the ground. It surprised the pinkette how much strength the Pulsian had given her current state. But she could think of little else before the lancer slammed her back first into the nearest cave wall with enough force to daze her.

"Fang!"

Fang ignored her sister's cries. "Ya lied! Ya said she was dead!" Fang smashed Serah back into the wall again, the Primarch yelping as rough rock dug into her back. "Was everythin' ya said a lie too!?"

Before Fang could inflict any further harm, a darkness settled over her vision, the outraged Pulsian quickly finding her limbs going slack as a sudden tiredness overwhelmed her. No longer having the strength to hold the Primarch up any longer, Serah was dropped to her knees as Fang stumbled backwards before falling back limply into Vanille's waiting arms. With a grunt, the redheaded Dia gently eased her sleeping sister down to the ground again. This was the first time in years that Vanille had to forcefully get Fang to sleep like this, through the use of magic.

Serah coughed, rubbing her neck. The back of her head hurt something fierce, not to mention she was sure her back would be sporting nasty purple splotches very soon, but given the circumstances, she couldn't blame the Pulsian for reacting the way she did. A cooling sensation seeping in from her shoulder startled her, Serah relieved to realize it was only Vanille, the other Pulsian using her healing magic to get rid of the worst of Serah's new found injuries. She gave the redhead a muted thanks, her eyes drifting back to the other Pulsian.

"I see you've all acquainted yourself with each other."

Serah and Vanille turned towards the new voice, a large mass of a man standing in the mouth of the cave they resided in, covered in shadow and a heavy brown cloak. In his hand was an assortment of berries, fruits and some leafed vegetables.

"Mr. Amodar," Serah said, standing up to greet the man.

Amodar smiled, walking in towards them. "Please, Primarch," he said with a gentle smile. "It's just Amodar."

Amodar set down the food near the fire. "My apologies for being away for so long. I was... delayed."

"It's quite alright," the Cocoon Primarch said. She sat down next to her injured sister again, pulling up the blankets on Claire. "It's not like we had anywhere to go... at the moment."

The Wanderer Amodar nodded mutely, glancing over at the two slumbering women near the fire.

"Amodar," Vanille said softly. She didn't look at him, instead choosing to brush some stray hairs out of her sleeping sister's face.

One look at the young Dia and Amodar knew what she was asking. "I suppose I owe you all an explanation." He sighed as he joined the group by the fire.

Serah and Vanille remained quiet as the wanderer ordered his thoughts. The tension was thick in the air, more stifling than the silence that had previously enveloped them.

"Caius Ballad."

Two heads snapped towards Amodar.

"He is at the heart of this all. But before I can tell you about him and why he must be stopped, you must know what happened thirteen years ago."

"Thirteen years ago?" Vanille repeated. She looked to the Cocoon Primarch and was surprised to find the girl pale.

"That's when it all began," Amodar said. He shook his head. "No, it started long before that, but that's only when everything started to fall into place for Caius."

* * *

_~ Thirteen years ago, their first meeting ~_

Seven year old Fang awoke with a jerk, to the sounds of people shouting outside of her house. Rubbing her eyes in disorientation, she yawned, swinging her feet over the edge of her bed. It took her less than a minute to make her way outside, the child not truly snapping awake until her bare feet chilled against the cold, damp dirt.

Fang stopped in her tracks.

Just a few feet in front of her stood her father, the leader of all Yun, the lancer already greeting their secret guests. Fang, by chance, had heard about this secret meeting weeks ago, something about people from the Kingdom of Cocoon coming down to visit them. Fang didn't really understand that part, especially since she was old enough to know the two kingdoms were at war. So did that mean their guests were here to attack them? Or maybe call a surrender?

Whatever questions Fang had about that left her mind the moment she caught sight of a white faced man and a small girl around her age with the most curious rose coloured hair. So caught up in the other girl's presence, Fang failed to notice a third party with them, a man just as muscled as her father, with short brown hair and hazel coloured eyes.

* * *

_~ Present ~_

"Thirteen years ago," Amodar began, "a secret meeting between the Kingdom of Cocoon and the Kingdom of Gran Pulse was held in the village Tarak."

"Tarak?" the Primarch repeated in surprise. "Not Oerba?"

Amodar shook his head.

"The village of Oerba was not the home village of the Yuns," Vanille explained. "Fang didn't adopt Oerba's village name until after we took her in. Even then, that didn't happen until years later."

"The current Primarch at the time," Amodar continued, "Serah's and Claire's father, left in secret to meet with the leader of the strongest clan on all of Gran Pulse."

"Fang's clan," Vanille said.

Amodar nodded. "It was thought that if he could convince the strongest of the clans of Cocoon's desire for peace, the rest of the kingdom would soon follow." A chuckle. "But no one could have predicted the extra passenger he'd unknowingly be taking along with him."

"So that's what happened," Serah said with a sigh. She put a hand to her face and shook her head.

"Primarch?" Vanille questioned.

"Claire and I..." Hesitation. Then a soft smile. "We loved playing 'hide and seek.' One of our favorite hiding spots was our father's personal hover carrier. It was my turn to be 'it' and I'm guessing Claire hid there at the time and fell asleep while waiting to be found. When father left for his meeting, he took Claire along unknowingly. I searched for hours after he left, but couldn't find her."

The Cocoon Primarch laughed. "Claire got such a scolding when they finally returned, my father too," Serah said, her smile widening. "But that was a little price to pay considering all the stories she brought back about what the people of Gran Pulse were really like."

* * *

_~ Thirteen years ago, their first meeting ~_

Tarak Yun Fang didn't know what to make of the other girl. How strange it was to bring a child along to a foreign kingdom, especially in the middle of a centuries long war. Cocoonians were surely strange folk. Though, now that she got a better look at one up close, Fang was starting to realize that maybe Gran Pulsians weren't so different from Cocoonians after all.

"What?" Seven year old Claire Farron pouted, looking at her Pulsian company, indignant.

"Huh?"

"You're staring," Claire said. "What?"

"Oh. Oh!" Fang said laughing, scratching the back of her head. "It's just that yer..."

"I'm what?"

"Ya look funny," Fang replied. "Yer skin is so pale, like ya've never seen the sun before. And yer hair-"

"What about my hair?"

Fang looked at Claire blankly. "It's pink."

"So? Your hair is black. Like tar. But you don't hear me making fun of it."

Fang laughed again. "Yeah, I know right?"

Claire didn't quite know how to react to that one.

"But yer eyes," Fang said with a smile. Without thinking, she reached out to touch Claire's cheek. The Cocoonian girl froze, her eyes widening at the action, but she didn't move. "I like yer eyes," Fang said softly. "They're so blue, like the waters of Sulyya Springs. Pretty."

Fang would never forget the blush which quickly blossomed on Claire's cheeks.

* * *

_~ Present ~_

Fang smiled at the memory of her first encounter with Claire Farron. By now, she was awake again, having roused to the sound of Amodar speaking. A little bit calmer than she had been previously, the lancer chose to remain quiet this time, just listening as the wanderer explained the situation. Perhaps it was because she recognized his garb, but couldn't for the life of her remember why that was important. Or maybe it was because of his soothing voice that she chose to just listen. Whatever the case, her thoughts immediately went back to thirteen years ago, when she was still a wee child. It had been so surreal at the time, meeting the Cocoonian girl. They were supposed to be mortal enemies, but Fang couldn't find it in her to hate the girl. Not when Claire was just as innocent as she was.

"I was the mediator of that meeting," Amodar continued. "And the ones that followed. Both sides would meet many more times after that, eventually coming to an agreement on the matters of peace. During those times, Claire often came along with King Farron, having seemingly grown quite found of a certain Pulsian Pup."

* * *

_~ Thirteen years ago, their seventh meeting ~_

"Here."

Fang blinked.

"What's that?"

Claire looked away, her cheeks pink. "I want you to have it."

Fang took the object in question from her friend's hand and held it up in front of her face to examine it. It was a simple necklace, the chain made of black cord. The pendant was a violet coloured gem, amethyst if she remembered correctly, with silver adornments. All in all, it was beautiful.

"Wow, it's really pretty." Fang put the necklace on, very pleased with how it felt around her neck. Like it belonged. "Where'd ya get it?"

"I made it."

Emerald coloured eyes widened in surprise.

"It's not as nice as the necklace your mom gave you," Claire began. She looked at the ground, hands behind her back as she shyly scuffed her boots in the dirt. "But I want you to have it anyhow."

Claire jumped in surprise when two arms wrapped around her and squeezed her in a hug.

"I love it. Thank ya, Claire."

* * *

_~ Present _~

"So that's where she got that necklace from," Vanille commented, looking between Fang and Claire. Up until this day, Fang never did tell Vanille why that particular necklace was so precious to her. As a child, Fang would never go anywhere without it.

"Oh Fang!" Vanille said in surprise, noticing her sister's lingering gaze on the unconscious Cocoonian next to her. "You're awake! Feeling better?"

Serah held her breath when emerald eyes locked onto her. It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like years by the time Fang looked away.

"Yeah," Fang said, looking back to Claire. She reached over and intertwined her fingers with the pinkette's limp ones. Fang swallowed thickly. This was real. Claire was real. She wasn't dreaming.

"Amodar," Serah said weakly. She couldn't bear watching Fang's fragile expression any further as the Pulsian gazed at her sister. "How..."

Suddenly the Primarch lost her nerve, her throat clenching as she struggled with the question she wanted to ask for years. Blinking back the tears quickly forming in her eyes, Serah cleared her throat and forced her question out.

"Were you there when... my father died?"

Amodar closed his eyes, bowing his head at the memory. He'd been waiting for that question. For years now, he'd been waiting for this moment. Claire had never asked him directly in all the time he was with her, but he knew it had been on her mind. Whether she remembered it or not.

"I was," Amodar admitted with a heavy heart. He opened his eyes and looked at the now tearing Cocoon Primarch.

"Thirteen years ago, when the peace treaty was about to be signed, Caius Ballad showed up to the meeting out of the blue."

Fang gritted her teeth, her free hand clenching into a fist as Amodar continued to talk.

"By then, he had become a mere shadow of the good man he once was and killed everyone there. Including King Farron and the Yun clan. It was a massacre."

Fang's eyes squeezed shut, salty tears flowing freely from them. Only the clenching of her jaw stopped those traitorous sobs from escaping her willing lips. Memories she had buried years ago were coming to light again, and it hurt so Maker damn much to remember them.

Vanille gasped, tears in her eyes as she sought her sister's gaze. As a child, Vanille never found out what happened to the Yun clan. Even today, not many people knew what happened. All they were told was that some horrific thing happened and the strongest of the clans were all but wiped out. Fang was the only survivor, a child so traumatized at the time, that she barely remembered what happened to her people when she was ushered into Oerba days later. The last surviving Yun child was mute for months after that incident, Fang not finding her voice again until six month later, the first person she opened up to being Vanille.

"Only Claire and Fang would survive that day, but not without scars," Amodar said, his voice soft.

Serah covered her eyes with her hand, trying to stop the tears which already fell. Her attempt failed miserably. When she was little, she hadn't understood what was happening during that time. But now as an adult, and leader of all Cocoon for that matter, thinking back on that moment years ago, her heart couldn't but clench in pain. Maker! The things she said so ignorantly back then...

* * *

_~ Thirteen years ago, the day after the massacre ~ _

Four year old Serah Farron awoke to the sounds of weeping. Still disoriented from sleep, the little girl wandered towards the source of the sound, her parents' bedroom, and found her mother crying. A discarded datalogue sat on the bed next to her mother.

"Mommy?"

Queen Farron startled, staring wide eyed at her youngest daughter. "Serah, honey." Queen Farron quickly wiped her tears away and made her way over to her sleepy daughter, the youngest Farron standing at the threshold to the master bedroom.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Serah nodded, accepting the hug her mother gave her. "Why are you crying?"

The arms around little Serah tightened. "It's nothing, honey." Queen Farron bit her lip, a feeble attempt to stop herself from weeping more.

"You miss Daddy and Claire too?"

The question was an innocent one, Serah too young to understand the true impact of of it. Serah hadn't known that moments ago, her mother received word that her husband's secret meeting with the Yuns had failed. Serah hadn't known that King Farron and sister were presumed dead. How could she? She was just a child.

"Don't worry, Mommy," Serah said, patting her mother on the back. "When Daddy and Claire come back, you'll be happy again. You'll see."

Queen Farron couldn't hold it any longer and cried.

King Farron and Claire would never come back. Not in her life time.

Soon the responsibility of leading the kingdom would fall to Queen Farron, the Kingdom of Cocoon fed false lies and led to believe that their King and leader had suddenly passed away from a mysterious sickness, his oldest daughter as well. The people couldn't know the truth. Nor could her only remaining daughter. Young Serah cried for hours after her mother told her that Claire and her father would never be coming back.

The next couple of years would be the hardest on Queen Farron, the stress and politics eventually wearing her down to the point of falling ill three years later. Queen Farron died within a month of becoming sick, the doctors citing heartache as the true reason for the Queen's death. Everything was then left to seven year old Serah, the pinkette becoming the youngest ever Primarch to take the throne to lead her people. Eight years later, Lightning showed up on her doorstep.

* * *

_~ Present ~_

"I was too late," Amodar said, mournfully. "When I finally figured out what Caius was up to, the massacre was done and the entire village of Tarak was in flames."

A clenched fist unfurled.

"But not all was lost." Amodar said, raising his gaze to Fang and Claire nearby.

Fang didn't meet his gaze.

"There were two survivors that I was able to save. But not without a bit of divine intervention from a certain goddess herself."

* * *

___**A/N: **____For those of you wondering, Vanille used a Sleep spell on Fang to get her to sleep._

___Tarak is actually a boy's name in Sanskrit meaning Protector._

___I'm not quite sure what the colour of Amodar's eyes are, even after look at countless pictures, so I made them hazel for this piece._

___The necklace given to Fang by her mother, as referred to by Claire as a child, is the beaded, multicoloured necklace she wears in game._


	11. Resonance

**The Kingdom of Etro**

**_A/N_**___:__ Another chapter is live! __As__ romance __is not __my __strong __suit, __expect __some __character __OOCness._

**_Disclaimer_**___: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 11: Resonance ~ ***

"_The Kingdom of Etro."_

Fang sat motionless, keeping silent vigil over the still unconscious Claire Farron. Night had fallen, passed and gone, and now morning was upon them again. Fang was the first of this mismatched group to awaken on this new day, but rather than rouse the others, she chose to sit and watch the rising sun instead.

"_Before there was Cocoon, before there was Gran Pulse, there was only Etro's Kingdom."_

Emerald green eyes strayed from the light of dawn leaking into the cave, to the one breathing harshly next to the Pulsian lancer. Pink locks were matted with a cold sweat, Claire's pained rasps only interrupted by brief mumblings of the fevered. Fang gritted her teeth.

No amount of healing magic would close the pinkette's wound. Vanille was baffled. She was the best healer between them, even amongst her own clan. While illness and disease were one thing, there had been no battle wound Vanille couldn't heal before. Until now. Somehow, the Wanderer Amodar didn't seem the least bit surprised by this, but the man offered no explanation when asked about it. As for where the said man was right now, Fang didn't know. It seemed the Wanderer had disappeared again, sometime in the middle of the night.

"_There was no division between the lands. It was not either Cocoon's territory or Gran Pulse's territory. It was just Etro's sanctuary."_

Thanks to Vanille's healing magic, Fang's bandages were soon removed and the pain she experienced, gone. While her strength and stamina had yet to return in full, something which would happen over time, at least now she didn't need help sitting up. Many thoughts raced through Fang's mind, circling over and over and over again with no resolution. Restless, the lancer softly threaded her fingers through sweat soaked locks of pink.

"_Blessed by the Goddess, the people prospered. That is, until Chaos set its sights on her sanctuary."_

What a load of crock.

Fang didn't know if she wanted to laugh, scream, or cry. Maybe all three. So much was said last night, so much was revealed. Even now, a day later, Fang was still trying to wrap her brain around all of it. A lot of it was just so... unfathomable and too ridiculous to be possible. But after all that she'd seen in the past day or so, Fang knew it wasn't as far fetched as it sounded. Her eyes burned, the huntress quickly wiping away the tears that had formed. Gritting her teeth, Fang reached out for the Claire's hand, intertwining their fingers together.

Why did all of this happen? Oh right. It was because of that monster Caius Ballad. The little bout from before had unlocked the memories Fang buried long ago, as a means of dealing with the trauma that was the extinction of her entire clan. Snippets of memory would flash to her minds eye with a single word or a sole gesture, at times, nearly overwhelming the Pulsian as she started to remember all that happened years ago.

But it wasn't just Caius to blame, was it? What about the Goddess? Or Chaos? And Yeul? Fang growled. Because that stupid girl had to die-

A fist pounded the ground.

Fang sighed, unclenching her now bruised fingers.

It really wasn't Yeul's fault. The Seeress did the best she could given the circumstances. Had Fang been in Caius' place with Claire in Yeul's spot, would she too have gone crazy seeking vengeance? Even against a god?

The Pulsian lancer shook her head. Now was not the time to think about this. There were other things of concern now. Like the fact that only a l'Cie could kill another l'Cie. That's why Amodar had sought them out. In spite of him being a l'Cie himself, he could no longer do it on his own. Not with Caius killing previous l'Cies and stealing their power. Doing Chaos' bidding, Caius only got stronger as he destroyed the very life the Goddess sought to protect. If left unchecked, he would surely find a way to kill the Goddess too, destroying the fragile balance that remained. They could not let that happen.

"Fang?"

Fang turned from Claire to look at the now rousing Vanille. The redhead yawned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

"How are you feeling?"

Fang gave her sister a half smile. "As right as rain," she said. Her gaze drifted back to the oldest Farron. As a child, she had taken quite a liking to the pinkette. Even now, thirteen years later, that attraction hadn't diminished in the least. In fact, it only got stronger.

"How's she doing?"

Fang's expression saddened. "The same as before."

Vanille hugged her sister from behind, rubbing her arm. Her eyes drifted from the still unconscious Cocoon soldier to the still slumbering Cocoon Primarch next to her. Vanille could only imagine what the other girl was going through right now.

"Everything's going to be okay, Fang," Vanille said softly. Whether she was trying to convince Fang of that fact, or herself, was unclear.

Fang sighed, looking at Claire. "I hope so," she said.

* * *

_~ Yesterday ~_

"The Kingdom of Etro," Amodar said. "Before there was Cocoon, before there was Gran Pulse, there was only Etro's Kingdom."

The Wanderer stood up, in doing so, pulling a hidden unlit torch from underneath his cloak. He held it to the fire. "There was no division between the lands. It was not either Cocoon's territory or Gran Pulse's territory. It was just Etro's sanctuary."

The dried cloth on the torch's tip lit up immediately upon touching flames. Amodar straightened up in his posture before heading towards the back, darkest wall of the cave. None of the group had ventured back there, both out of fear of what was over there and from the anxiety of being in a place they did not know.

"Blessed by the Goddess, the people prospered. That is, until Chaos set its sights on her sanctuary."

Serah made a noise of surprise when Amodar held the torch high, illuminating the back wall. What was thought to be an endless cave into the depths of some mountain was actually a small cave with a deep back wall. While that in itself was a bit surprising, what was most shocking was the multitude of archaic and ancient looking paintings decorating the back cavern wall, each of them clearly depicting people and scenes from hundreds of years ago.

"That was the nature of balance," Amodar said. "There could be no life without death. No light without darkness."

A sigh.

"Unfortunately, Chaos thrived on madness, twisting pure, untainted life into creatures of corruption and darkness. To combat this threat, the Goddess Etro created l'Cies, beings infused with her essence, giving them the power purify the taint now creeping into her land."

"Yer a l'Cie," Fang said, speaking up finally after a long period of quiet. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Fang didn't look at Amodar. She stared at the rocky ceiling of the cave.

"What?" Vanille's head snapped towards her sister.

That's why Amodar's garb looked so familiar to Fang. While thought to have all died hundreds of years ago, Etro's l'Cies, otherwise known as the Elite Guardians, were well known to the people of Gran Pulse. Said to have the power which rivalled the mythical fal'Cies, they kept watch over the land, ensuring balance was maintained. But something happened to them a long time ago, and they all disappeared without a trace.

Amodar chuckled, looking fondly at the paintings on the cave wall.

"But that would make you-"

"Hundreds of years old?" Amodar finished for the redhead. Another chuckle. And a nod. "Something like that."

Serah was gaping. The Wanderer Amodar was a l'Cie? Hell, one that was hundreds of years old? Son of the Maker!

Cocoon's Primarch knew very little when the came to Cocoon's past. The history books which logged the times centuries ago were badly kept, many of them degrading before they could be forever immortalized electronically. Of the ones that were saved before their complete disintegration, in them were a few mentions of the l'Cies, gifted beings said to embody the Goddess' will to defeat an ancient evil.

"The battles between Etro's l'Cies and Chaos' minions grew fierce over the years, taking its toll on both sides, but more so on the Goddess. For all that the Goddess was powerful, Chaos was even more so. It forced her hand to create younger and younger l'Cies just to keep up, including the one who would tip the balance of the war in Chaos' favor."

Amodar looked back to the awake trio.

"Paddra Nsu-Yeul."

The Primarch went rigid.

"The Seeress!?" Vanille exclaimed. Her hands went up to her mouth in shock.

The Wanderer nodded grimly. Amodar walked along the wall of paintings, stopping in front of one in particular. This specific painting showed a girl with coral blue hair and brilliant green eyes. Next to her was a man whom they all recognized.

"The Seeress was the youngest of Etro's l'Cies to be awakened," Amodar continued. "While that was unusual, given that she had already been blessed as a Seeress at the time, it was assumed the Goddess chose her because of that fact, and through being a l'Cie, Yeul would be stronger still. Caius and I were assigned as her protectors, and for a time all seemed well."

There was such pain in Amodar's voice, a deep and agonizing pain felt from the heart. Fang didn't need to look at the man to feel it. And she was sure the Cocoon Primarch and her sister could feel it too.

"But one day, Paddra Nsu-Yeul died," Amodar pressed on. "Because of her youth and inexperience, being both the Seeress and Etro's l'Cie was just too much for her. Caius was devastated."

Vanille was in tears.

"You see, Caius Ballad had fallen in love with the Seeress."

Fang turned to look at Claire.

"Caius demanded answers from the Goddess, he demanded to know why Yeul was chosen when it was clear she wouldn't have been able to manage it. But the Goddess remained silent, which only infuriated him. Soon the people became divided, those loyal to the Seeress and those loyal to the Goddess. Those loyal to the Seeress would eventually seek out other means aside from magic to combat the threat of Chaos, in doing so, abandoning the Goddess. Those who remained loyal to the Goddess maintained the ways of magic and the teachings of the past, shunning their brethren who did not."

"You mean-" Serah's eyes went wide.

"Yes," Amodar said. "That was when the Kingdom of Etro was split into two, into what would now be now known as the Kingdom of Cocoon and the Kingdom of Gran Pulse."

_SLAP!_

Amodar turned his head back towards the Cocoon Primarch, ignoring the stinging in his left cheek. Like her sister, the youngest Farron was fast. There was only inches of space between them now.

"I refuse to acknowledge my people came about because of that mad man!" Serah exclaimed, anger and fury in her tone. Her right palm stung, the pinkette clenching it into a fist as she glared at the Wanderer.

"Forgive me, Primarch," Amodar said, raising a placating hand. "I meant not to imply that the Cocoon people were the descendants of Caius. They are not. I'm simply explaining how the divide between the two kingdoms came about."

Before tempers could flare any further, Vanille thought it best to interrupt with a change in subject. Nerves were already frayed at this point. It would do none of them any good to be at each others' throats.

"What happened to Caius?" Vanille asked, truly curious.

Amodar frowned, looking at the cave painting of the man. "He disappeared during the division between the people. It wouldn't be until years later that I would face him again. By then, the war against Chaos had turned into the war of Cocoon against Gran Pulse, with Chaos lingering in the background unchecked. The true reason for fighting had been lost by that time. Now it had become a battle of superiority between the two kingdoms."

"So what of it?" Fang huffed. All this talk was really starting to annoy her. It reminded her of those long and boring meetings she had to sit through before. "How does this relate ta us? An' why is Caius back now?"

Amodar sighed heavily, the torch in his hand lowering just a bit. "Caius seeks to finish what he started years ago," he said. "After his disappearance, I later learned he joined forces with Chaos and sought to kill the Goddess. How he planned to do that was to kill Etro's l'Cies, steal their powers, and make them his own. He would use the Goddess' own strength against her."

All of the blood drained out of Serah's face. Was such a thing truly possibly? Just the sheer thought that it could be done made the Cocoon Primarch's skin crawl.

"It started with the death of his own successor, Noel Kreiss," Amodar stated. "He was a good kid. The poor lad didn't even see it coming. By the time I realized what Caius was up to, it was too late. Caius had already stolen Etro's essence from Noel and turned him Cie'th."

"He turned his successor Cie'th?" The Primarch was horrified. "Just like the-"

"Just like your men back at the palace."

"And Advisor Raines..."

Serah was ready to faint. Somehow, she managed to seat herself on the ground before her legs collapsed under her completely. A look back to the eldest Farron. "But Claire..."

Fang fought the deep urge to wrap her arms around the unconscious Farron and never let her go. "No," she said firmly. "Claire will not turn Cie'th. She will not!"

"That remains to be seen," Amodar said quietly. The grip on the torch tightened.

"If he could steal another l'Cie's powers, does that mean he's invincible? Or you for that matter?" the youngest Farron asked, her voice trembling.

Amodar shook his head. "No," he said. "Neither myself nor Caius is invincible, or immortal for that matter. We both can be killed like any regular person if given the chance." The smile the Wanderer now wore didn't quite reach his eyes. "We just don't age as quickly as regular people do, due to the Goddess' blessing."

Vanille gripped a clump of her skirt in a white knuckle fist. While all of what had been said so far was tough to swallow, there was one thing bothering her for the longest while now. "But why go through all of the trouble?" Vanille asked, looking down at her hands. "Why would Caius go through all of this trouble just to kill people who are not Etro's l'Cies?"

"My apologies, Oerba Dia Vanille," Amodar said, addressing the redhead. "I was not clear. All of you are Etro's l'Cies."

Silence.

"P-pardon?"

"You are all l'Cies of the Goddess," the Wanderer repeated.

More silence.

Fang burst out laughing.

"Ya really had meh goin' there for a moment ol' man," the lancer said. There was no mirth in her voice. "I was so convince ya were speakin' the truth. Now I know yer jus' crazy."

Amodar looked at Fang, making her flinch slightly. He wasn't angry or upset. He was just... calm. It was rather unsettling.

"Maybe so," Amodar said. "But how else could you explain that brand on your arm Oerba Yun Fang? Or the fact that you can wield magic?"

Fang went rigid, her jaw clenching. Vanille looked at her sister nervously.

"Brand?" Serah said, looking at Fang curiously. "Like the one Claire has?"

"What?"

Both Vanille's and Fang's head snapped towards the Primarch.

"Claire has one?"

Serah nodded. "I've seen it only a handful of times but..." The Primarch didn't say anything further.

Vanille's gaze darted back to the Wanderer. "If I'm understanding this right," she began. "Brands mark awakened l'Cies? And awakened l'Cies can wield magic?"

"That is correct," Amodar answered.

"That's why Claire can summon lightning," Serah said softly. "Without a mana driver."

"Yes."

"And why Fang was so much stronger than any of us when wielding magic," Vanille said.

Amodar nodded.

Vanille looked at Fang's branded arm, then to her own hand.

"Why don't I have a brand then?" the redheaded Dia asked. "I can wield magic, but I'm not an awakened l'Cie."

The Wanderer smiled.

"Inherently, all beings in Etro's sanctuary are l'Cies," he explained. "That being said, not all of them are awakened at the same time. Thirteen years ago, Claire's and Serah's father, along with Fang's father were awakened. After they were killed, their eldest daughters were awakened by the Goddess to take up the mantle."

Fang frowned. She remembered no such awakening. Just the terror of being found by Caius and screaming out Claire's name as the beast of a man sought to eat them whole. Just when she thought they both died, there was... there was calm and peace, and a soothing gentleness surrounding the both of them. There was a woman there too. One with eyes swirling all the colours of the rainbow and hair like platinum.

"Both of you," Amodar continued, nodding to Serah and Vanille, "May not have been fully awakened yet, but I can already tell that you both have felt and experienced things other people have not."

"I'm... I'm a l'Cie?" Serah questioned.

Amodar nodded at the Cocoon Primarch reassuringly, even though he knew it was more a question for herself than for him.

Serah's gaze fell on her sister. Now it all made sense. Her dreams. Her nightmares. The feeling she had when she met Lightning before finding out it was Claire all along. But one thing still troubled her.

"Through the use of catalysts, like your weapons," Amodar continued. "You learned how to channel the Goddess' essence without being awakened. The Awakened need not such aids."

Vanille looked to her binding rod which lay on the other side of the fire. It was true, what Amodar had said. She had always felt this... sensation whenever wielding magic. And wielding magic was a lot harder to do if her binding rod was not around.

"Amodar," Serah said, looking up. "One thing has been bothering me."

Amodar waited patiently for the Cocoon Primarch to speak.

"Why did you keep my sister from me?"

The Primarch's and the Wanderer's gaze met. They stared at each other for a lone minute before the man named Amodar spoke up again.

"While both Fang and Claire were saved by the Goddess, Caius still hunted them. Not for their power, for he did not know they had been awakened at the time. He hunted them simply to enrage the Goddess, because she had personally saved them."

Vanille looked at her sister, Fang's brow furling in confusion. It was quite clear to the redhead that her sister didn't remember when that happened.

"But Fang was returned to us," Vanille said. "Months after all of that happened."

Amodar nodded. "That is true."

"But why not my sister?" Serah repeated, the frustration and anger from before swelling up again.

"Because your sister had been marked by Chaos before the Goddess saved them."

Serah wanted to faint. "W-what?"

Fang stared at Amodar in shock. Claire was marked by Chaos? But how- Emerald green eyes went wide, Fang making a fist before squeezing her eyes shut. After taking a deep breath, she tearfully looked at her unconscious companion. "Ya stupid girl," she admonished the pinkette softly. "Why'd ya have ta jump in front of me then?"

Amodar's eyes flickered to Fang before returning to the Cocoon Primarch. "While a small child would have gone easily unnoticed amongst her people, Claire, who had been marked, would have stood out immediately to Caius. So I hid her, trained her in the ways of the l'Cie, and protected her. I made sure he would never find her. I made sure that whatever Chaos resided in her, would not threaten to overwhelm her."

Serah stifled a sob, putting a hand over her face. "So that's why she forgot everything."

"Yes," Amodar said. "The Chaos had already begun to corrupt her before the Goddess intervened. And had she been a second later, your sister would have been lost completely. When I was finally sure the Chaos would not overwhelm her, I sent her back to you. Caius had begun to move by then, and you needed all the help you could get when that time came."

* * *

_~ Present ~_

A strangled scream jolted both Fang and Vanille out of their quiet reverie. Movement immediately caught their eyes.

"Claire!" Serah exclaimed, snapping awake in an instant.

The eldest Farron answered with another agonized cry, sweat running down her brow. She was upright now, sitting hunched over and clutching at her chest. Claire panted heavily, locks of pink hair shrouding her face in shadow.

"Clai-"

The moment the Cocoon Primarch reached out and touched her sister's shoulder, Serah was tossed into the air. Seconds later, she crashed into the nearest cave wall, back first. The youngest pinkette crumpled to the ground a moment later on her stomach with a groan, limp and dazed.

"Maker!" Fang exclaimed, scrambling to her feet. Vanille was up on hers shortly after.

"Cla-"

Blinding white pain wracked her frame, Fang sucking in a breath before dropping to one knee. She clutched at her right arm.

"Fang!" Vanille caught the Pulsian lancer and steadied her before she could flop on her face.

Fang ground her teeth with a grunt, her eyes flickering to her brand. It was lit up like a star and burning hot white.

"It was just as I thought."

Amodar stood in the entrance way of the cave, most of his mass covered in shadow from the outside glare. Fang's eyes immediately locked onto the thing in his hand. His giant rifle.

"W-what-"

"The Chaos is trying to break free."

Fang's head turned back to the now howling pinkette, her eyes bulging at the sight of the other woman's brand. It was on her chest, just above her breast and pulsing a dark purple. From it, veins of black spider webbed outwards, consuming pale flesh at an alarming rate. Claire was barely on her feet now, shaking and screaming in pain, tearing at the bandages covering her chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her face twisted in horror.

The safety on Amodar's rifle clicked off.

"No," Serah said, her eyes wide. "No!"

The Cocoon Primarch scrambled to her feet, having just regained her wits enough to jump in front of her sister, albeit unsteadily. She held her arms wide as she faced Amodar. The Wanderer's rifle was pointed at her sister.

"Don't do this!" Serah said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Amodar's lips pressed into a fine line. "It must be done," Amodar stated, a tightness to his voice. "If I don't do this now, the Chaos will consume her completely and she will turn against us."

"So you're just going to kill her, just like that!?"

"I raised her as my own daughter!" Amodar's voice was like a sonic boom, making them all flinch. Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes. "Do you really think me that heartless?! If there was any other way to save her, I would! But there isn't."

Amodar gritted his teeth as Claire let loose another blood curdling shriek. "I won't let her suffer the fate of turning into one of those!"

A beat.

"I will save her," Fang gritted out through clenched teeth.

It was soft, but the beat was there.

"Fang?" Vanille turned to her sister.

Claire was crying out for help. And this time, Fang would be the one to jump in front of her.

"I will save her!"

"Fang!"

Ignoring the cries from her sister, Fang bolted towards Claire throwing caution to the wind. Movement caught the agonized pinkette's attention, black eyes piercing into the source. Fang flinched at the look, but kept charging forward. Paying the pain from her brand no heed, with both Vanille's and Serah's shouts nothing but white noise in the background, Fang threw her arms around Claire's shoulders and pulled in her for a tight hug.

"Claire!" Fang exclaimed, grimacing as the her childhood friend thrashed in her grasp. Fingers dug into her skin like claws, feet stomping on her own to break free. "Claire! Fight it! Don't give up!"

Serah watched in silent desperation as Oerba Yun Fang stumbled about to keep her hold on her deranged sister. No amount of shouting, from any of them, seemed to break through to Claire. Serah's stomach did flips at the thought that she'd lose her sister again. Unlike the first time, this time, she'd be watching it happen live.

"Snap out of it, Claire!" Fang hissed. Some of the pinkette's nails broke through skin, leaving a red trail on bronze flesh. "Don't let it win!"

It took everything she had right now to keep on hold on the writhing pinkette. The more Fang struggled, the more Claire struggled back. "Claire!"

At wits end on what to do, and with her grip slowly coming undone, Fang did the only thing she could think of.

"Ya'll not have her!"

Fang kissed Claire.

A blinding light made Serah scream, the leader of Cocoon stumbling backwards, almost passing out due to the sheer intensity of it. When she finally shook herself out of her daze, she was on the ground, on her behind, with a hand to her head. She could have sworn her ears were ringing. A flash of light quickly caught her attention, the Cocoon Primarch's jaw dropping at the sight.

Fang and Claire still shared a kiss, the once hidden brand on the Pulsian's arm now bright as a star. The brand Claire bore was the same, no longer the black mark it had been, but now a brilliant white light. The corruption of Chaos was no where to be found.

A choked laugh.

Vanille tore her eyes from the two women to look at the Wanderer Amodar.

"Resonance," the man said, shaking his head. He wiped away the tears from his eyes, lowering his rifle. "I should have known."

* * *

_**A/N: **__My apologies for this chapter. Something about it still feels off. Perhaps it was because it had a lot more dialogue than I would have liked, but all was necessary in progressing the story._

_On another note, __I find it mildly amusing that this chapter mirrors things that happened in my "Tainted Fal'Cie" story. It wasn't meant to go this way, but in the end it flowed better in this direction._

_And for those of you who didn't recognize Fang's description of the Goddess Etro, that came from my "Tainted Fal'Cie" story as well._


	12. Awkward Reunion

**The Kingdom of Etro**

_**A/N**: Another chapter is live! __As __romance __is not __my __strong __suit, __expect __some __character __OOCness._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Thunder1514 – Thanks for the review. ^^ I know a lot of people were waiting for that moment. Hehe. Now that that is out of the way, things should get better. Maybe. Lol._

_ tlrc – thanks for the review. ^^ Fear not, this will not be a repeat of my "Tainted Fal'Cie" story. As mentioned in the notes at the end of that chapter, it was more coincidence than anything. This next chapter should show you what I mean. ;)_

_ Guest – Thanks for the review. ^^ As mean as I may be when it comes to cliffhangers, I'm definitely not mean enough to make Claire sleep forever. Lol. I think this chapter should demonstrate what I mean. XD enjoy!_

**_Disclaimer_**___: __The __characters __and __the __worlds __I __write __in __do __not __belong __to __me. __The __stories __that __I __write __are __intended __for __entertainment __purposes. __I __do __not __make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 12: Awkward Reunion ~ ***

For the first time since she could remember, Claire was free.

It was like she had finally found her way back to the sunlight, after having been lost in a dark, underground maze for eternity. No longer was there an oppressive, invisible weight pressing down on her, threatening to crush her every single moment. No longer was there a thick, lingering fog dulling her senses. No longer was there a darkness overshadowing her life. Sights and sounds, even touch, was bright. And the colours! Don't even get her started on the colours!

She was truly free.

"C-Claire?"

Brilliant blue eyes darted to the side, Claire's breath catching in her throat as she spied the owner of the voice. Sparkling emerald eyes glittered with tears, wild, untamed raven locks framing a young bronze face. The pinkette swallowed, her mouth going dry as the other woman slowly and hesitantly crawled over to her. For reasons she could not explain, her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. Without thinking, she raised a hand to her face, only then realizing she no longer wore her signature mask.

Fang wanted to sob.

Three days had passed since... well.. she didn't know how to describe what that was. De... corruption? Was that even a word? Nevertheless, three days had passed since Claire was released from the throes of Chaos, any trace of the taint cleansed. While the pinkette was alive and corruption free, she slept endlessly. The Wanderer Amodar said it was what her body needed, to finally recuperate from being stained with Chaos all these years. But Fang wasn't convinced. Surely if they freed Claire from darkness, the other woman should have been awake, no?

The Pulsian supposed it was a small victory. Claire no longer tossed and turned, mumbling deliriously in her sleep. But for every day the eldest Farron slept on, with no signs of waking, Fang's heart couldn't but sink further. What if the pinkette never woke up? What if they were too late? What if all they had done was for nothing? Thankfully that was not the case as Claire was now awake and lucid. Fang couldn't stop the tears from pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"Claire..."

She knew her. Claire was certain of that. Like an unscratchable itch at the back of her mind, the soldier felt a kinship with the tanned warrior. It went deep, like the roots of a century old tree, their bond firm and unbreakable. She felt this, even though her memories were fragmented and fuzzy, leaving her nothing but confused and uncertain.

"It's..." Fang swallowed thickly. "This is real... right? I'm not dreamin'?"

Harmony.

That's what Claire felt. Deep familiarity and longing. And it scared her.

Fang reached out to the Cocoonian. "Claire-"

A hand wrapped around Fang's wrist, squeezing hard, preventing her from getting any closer.

"My name is Lightning," Claire said icily. Any trace of emotion she showed in the past few minutes was quickly erased and cold indifference was left in its place.

Fang's reaction was instant. She recoiled back an inch, as if slapped in the face. She stared at Claire in bewildered confusion, hesitation emanating off of her in waves.

"W-what?"

Claire swallowed.

Why did she do that? Why did she suddenly feel the need to push the other woman away? Of the fragments of her memory that were sensible, she knew this woman to be Oerba Yun Fang. And said woman had more than once assisted her in Cocoon's fight against PSICOM. Not only that, Fang protected Serah, during times when she could not. So why did she suddenly feel so defensive? Much to her displeasure, Claire would not get her answers immediately. Instead, her cold demeanour continued towards the Pulsian as the day went on, all attempts Fang made to be friendly with her failing miserably.

"You're awake."

Claire released Fang's hand, pulling back out of reach as Fang did the same. Swivelling her gaze in the direction of the new voice, she didn't miss the look of disappointment and frustration on the Pulsian's face, but shoved that observation aside to focus on their guest.

A blink of surprise.

"Sir?"

Amodar's face was alight with relief, the older man setting down the food supplies he'd gathered early this morning by the fire before changing direction to check on his charge. Kneeling down next to Claire, he put a hand on her forehead, his palm soon sliding down to cup her cheek. Good, she was no longer feverish.

Claire flushed slightly, evidently embarrassed by this display of affection.

"Sir, I-"

"It's alright, Lightning," Amodar said with a fatherly smile. "I'm glad you're alright."

"T-thank you, Sir."

Fang bit her tongue, gritting her teeth. A knot of jealous quickly formed in the pit of her stomach, her right hand clenching into a fist at her side. How was it Claire recognized _him_ but not her? Why was she the only one to get the cold treatment? Even after all they'd been through these past weeks, the first person she smiled at was _him_? Fang's fist clenched tighter, her nails threatening to break skin.

"Fang?" Vanille yawned, rubbing her eyes. The redhead currently lay next to her sister. The Primarch slept next to Claire on the other side, the girl still sound asleep. It was the sounds of talking which roused Vanille from her slumber, in spite how soft there were. Hearing the muffled voices of Amodar and another on the other side of the fire, the redhead's eyes widened in surprise when she realized who that other was.

"She's awake!"

Vanille bolted upright, the blanket originally covering her small form pooling around her lap. The smallest Pulsian bubbled with excitement as this discovery, but quickly deflated the moment she looked at her sister. Vanille frowned.

"Yeah," Fang said disheartened. It hurt to watch this. "She is." The lancer turned her gaze away, wishing to be in Amodar's place.

* * *

"Claire!"

Cocoon Primarch Serah Farron had to fight back tears as she tackled her sister in a hug. She was the last to awake out of the group, having spent another sleepless night watching her sister breathe. After hearing of her sister's clash with Chaos, Serah had been so afraid that Chaos would return and finally steal her sister away for good. She refused to let that happen, especially during the night when they all slept, and so the youngest pinkette stayed up all night just to make sure. And now Claire was awake. Finally.

"I thought I was going to lose you again," Serah sobbed uncontrollably.

Claire gently stroked the Primarch's hair, her other hand rubbing the girl's back as the tiny pinkette sobbed into her shoulder.

"Serah," Claire said. "I'm sorry."

A regretful smile.

"It's okay," Serah said, after she managed to reel in her emotions. She pulled back to look at her sister's face, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "You're safe and alive. That's all that matters."

Claire wiped away some of Serah's tears with her thumb, offering her another apologetic smile.

On the other side of the cave, opposite the two pinkettes, stood Fang and Vanille. Fang leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Her right leg was bent, her right foot pressed flat against the cavern wall while her left foot stood firmly planted on the ground to keep her balanced. Sorrowful longing lingered in her eyes, Vanille feeling her heart break more and more as her gaze drifted between the two Cocoon sisters and then to her own. Vanille reached up and put a hand on Fang's arm.

"Give her some time, Fang," Vanille said quietly. Fang didn't even look at her.

"She'll remember you eventually. I'm sure of it."

Fang blinked back tears as Claire kissed Serah on the forehead. "Yeah," she said. "Sure."

* * *

"I'll... I'll need time to digest this," Claire said.

Having just spent a better part of the day being filled in on the latest sequence of events, Claire's head felt like it was going to explode. So much had happened in such a short period of time, a lot of it she couldn't remember. It was frustrating.

Advisor Raines' attack on the Primarch. PSICOM's attack on the Imperial Palace. The treaty finally being signed. And then there was the threat of Caius Ballad. Not to mention her own growing attraction to a certain raven haired Pulsian. But she didn't bring up that last point.

"Of course," the Wanderer Amodar said. "I expected as much. It's a lot to take in after all."

Claire nodded, her gaze lowering to her hands.

"Take some time to yourself to let things sink in," Amodar continued. "But, be warned. We'll need to move soon if there is any hope of stopping Caius."

* * *

"Amodar, can I ask you something?"

The Wanderer Amodar turned to face the Primarch. By now the sun was starting to set, and the older man was in the process of preparing dinner. Some fresh fruits, boiled roots, and smoked Gorgonopsid flank.

Serah hesitated, momentarily glancing at the cave entrance. Claire was outside somewhere, watching the sunset. Vanille remained inside, tidying up their belongings while Fang had gotten up not too long ago and left too, to stretch her legs.

"How was it that... Oerba Yun Fang was able to cleanse Claire of the taint?"

Vanille paused in her chores to look at the Primarch. For a while now, she too had been wondering the same thing.

Amodar smiled, the Wanderer having glimpsed the looks Serah and Vanille gave their two older siblings.

"Resonance," Amodar began. "It is a force more powerful than any magic, any weapon, in all of the Kingdom of Etro. As you've already seen, it has the power to purge Chaos and cleanse the tainted, your sister being the very example of that."

Serah looked down at the ground, deep in thought. "I... see..."

Amodar looked at Vanille, the redhead pretending to go back about her tasks as if she hadn't been listening in on the conversation.

"But that's not enough of an explanation for you, is it?" Amodar questioned the youngest pinkette. "You want to know why Fang was able to do it, and not you, correct?"

Serah looked up at Amodar in surprise, before flushing in embarrassment. Bingo.

"Your people have music, isn't that right, Primarch?"

Serah nodded, though she wasn't quite sure how this was relevant to the conversation.

"How do you tune your instruments?"

Serah blinked. Tune their instruments? Well that was easy to answer. The Primarch was quite proficient in the violin herself. "We have tuning programs-"

Amodar shook his head. "How did you tune your instruments before Cocoon technology took over that task?"

Serah's brow furled. It had been hundreds of years since Cocoonians tuned their instruments manually. Technology made it so easy to tune their instruments flawlessly, and took less time as well, leaving them to do other more productive things with that time they saved. Why the Wanderer was pressing this issue, the Primarch didn't know.

"I believe it was a tool called a tuning fork."

The Wanderer smiled. "That they were," he said.

Like a magician, Amodar withdrew a palm sized tuning fork from under his cloak, gesturing as if it came from thin air. Flicking it with his finger, the fork trembled, making a ringing sound.

"Oh!" Vanille giggled. "We have those too!"

Amodar and Serah looked at Vanille in surprise. The redheaded Dia blushed guiltily. Oops. She really didn't mean to listen in to other peoples' conversations, but this was so much more interesting than counting their supplies. At least Amodar and Serah didn't seem too bothered by it.

Amodar chuckled. Vanille could be rather cute at times. He turned his attention back to Serah.

"Now what do you think would happen if you had two tuning forks that were exactly the same?"

Pulling another tuning fork from under his cloak, Amodar handed it to the Primarch. Serah held it in her hand, looking at it with child-like curiosity. Seeing this, the Wanderer flicked his tuning fork again, making it chime. Serah jumped in surprise when the tuning fork in her hand also chimed, in tune with the other, even though she had done nothing more than hold it.

"That is resonance," Amodar explained. "Like two tuning forks of the same pitch, l'Cies are similar. Gather those who resonate with each other, and you'll have a force stronger than anything you could ever imagine."

By now, Vanille had crawled up next to the Primarch and examined the tuning fork with her.

"If we are to defeat Caius and stop his madness once and for all," Amodar continued. "We'll need to find other l'Cies to resonate with us, inevitably making us all stronger as a result."

* * *

Claire watched as the sun set, the sky shifting from bright blue to a mix of orange and purple. She stood outside of the cave, one she learned served as Amodar's home for years. With her back resting against the rocky wall, her arms crossed over her chest, the soldier closed her eyes, taking in the earthy scents around her and the soft murmuring of wildlife.

Soon, the sound of approaching footsteps broke Claire out of her reverie, the Cocoonian opening her eyes and turning her head in the direction of the disturbance. Oerba Yun Fang emerged from the cave moments later, arms stretched over her head, a few joints audibly popping as she stretched. Muscle rippled and flexed, Claire quickly finding herself enraptured by the sight that was Oerba Yun Fang. What hold this woman had over her, the pinkette didn't know nor understand. But what she did know was that the tension between them had to be resolved, and it was up to her to do it.

"Oh," Fang said, once realizing she was being glared at. "S-Sorry," she said quietly, looking in the opposite direction.

Fang was restless.

For days now all they did was talk, talk, talk. And for days now, the threat Caius posed only grew stronger. Thankfully, now that Claire was awake, things seemed to be moving forward, though not in the direction she wanted. Ever since the other Cocoonian awoke, there was awkwardness between them. Stiffness. Anytime Fang looked at her, Claire would look the other way. Anytime she moved closer to her, Claire would pull away.

It was driving Fang nuts, nuts knowing Claire didn't want to be near her. It was like the eldest Farron was reverting back to the shell known as Lightning, the one she first met after crossing into Cocoon territory to sign some stupid treaty. It was the Lightning that was cold, unfeeling and just plain disconnected.

A stranger.

After feeling particularly claustrophobic with her thoughts inside of Amodar's humble abode, Fang sought to ease her mind with a cool walk outside. But then she ran into_ her_.

"Didn't mean ta bother ya," Fang said quickly. She immediately turned to head back inside.

A hand wrapped around Fang's wrist halting the lancer's steps. Fang's gaze immediately snapped to the hand, the huntress chancing a look at her captor.

A nervous swallow.

"Ya need somethin' from meh?"

In truth, Claire didn't know why she did that, why she reached out and stopped Fang from leaving. She just... reacted.

"I..."

Her head was telling her to let go, to let the Pulsian be. Fang was the enemy of Cocoon. She was Claire's enemy. She was Serah's enemy. But in her heart, Claire knew Fang was also human, one not too different from her. All that really differentiated them from each other was the fact they lived in different places, and were brought up in different cultures.

Fang breathed air, just like she did.

Fang bled red, just like she did.

Fang liked her... just like... she did...

But that was something she could never truly vocalize to herself. It was something Claire was still trying to figure out for herself, even though her heart already knew. Because of her warring inner conflict, Claire originally didn't know how to react to the lancer. So she fell into something she'd gotten used to a long time ago. The cold mask of indifference.

But she made a mistake.

Claire didn't miss the looks of hurt and sorrow on the Pulsian's face. She didn't missing the longing gazes nor the twitch of Fang's hand whenever they were close together. And while she could push those things aside previously, Claire couldn't do that now. It hurt too much. She felt like she was dying. And she couldn't take it anymore.

"Look," Fang said, growing impatient with the awkward silence lingering between them. "If ya have nothin' ta say, I should be-"

"Thank you," Claire blurted out, before the Pulsian could finish. Really? Was that all she could think of to say? Claire was disgusted with herself. That was not what she wanted to say!

Fang blinked, having clearly not expected that. The hand around her wrist tightened.

"Thank you... for protecting the Primarch when I could not," Claire said, growing more frustrated with herself as she spat out these... words... words which really had no meaning right now. She knew Fang knew it too, for the Pulsian had that horrible look in her eyes, the one that made her heart ache.

Fang looked away from the soldier, the warrior feeling her heart sink again. "Yeah, it was no problem." Empty words. Again. Formalities. Nothing more. Maybe her Claire was lost after all. And all that was left was Lightning.

"But it is a problem!" Claire exclaimed, making Fang jump. She swallowed quickly when she realized what she had done. "I..."

Claire gritted her teeth. Why was this so hard to say? She released Fang's wrist in favour of holding her arm while she struggled with her words. "B-because..t-that's not what I wanted... to say..."

Fang raised an eyebrow at the Cocoonian. It was quite clear the other woman was struggling with something, but Fang didn't know what. She knew better than to keep her hopes up at this point, though. All keeping her hopes up did was break her heart each time. The huntress' expression soured again.

Maker be damned! There was that Maker forsaken look again! She had to fix this! Claire squeezed her arm with a white knuckled grip. She gritted her teeth.

"Can..."

A forced swallow.

She could do this. She _would_ do this.

"Can we start over?" Claire looked away the moment those words rolled off of her lips.

Fang's eyes widened. Was this a dream? Did she just hear what she thought she heard? Claire wouldn't meet her gaze, but the pinkette was blushing almost the same colour as her hair.

"I uh... umm..." Claire fumbled, after getting no immediate response. She fidgeted with her hands, feeling absolutely foolish. "I mean-"

With a grin, Fang grabbed the Cocoon girl by the wrist and yanked her towards her. Claire yelped in surprise, going stiff as a board when Fang wrapped her arms around her in a hug. Soon she relaxed and returned the affection.

"I'd... I'd like that, Sunshine," Fang said, her voice thick with emotion. She held Claire tighter, fighting back tears. "Very much."

Claire leaned into the embrace, flushing further. "Me too," she said quietly.

* * *

A tug on his shirt sleeve.

Amodar's gaze rose from the half peeled root in his hand to a certain redheaded Dia. Serah was on her way out of the cave now, checking up on her wayward sister, or so she had said. That left Amodar and Vanille alone for the moment, the youngest Pulsian having told the Primarch she'd stay inside to help with dinner.

"Oerba Dia Vanille?" Amodar searched the young one's face with curious eyes.

Vanille bit her lip, looking at the ground as she fought with her own indecision. After a few seconds of silence, she reluctantly looked at the older man, swallowing uncomfortably.

"Amodar," Vanille said, a slight tremble to her voice. "What do you know about Ragnarok?"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ My apologies on the choppiness of this chapter. I needed to move things along, a lot faster than they had been over the past chapters with dialogue and this was the best solution I could think of. _


End file.
